The primary objective is to reboot the entire franchise to make transformers particularly distinct from gundam, power rangers, and macross. Star wars is a question mark since hasbro has the licensing to that currently. If star wars sales cut into TF sales, the hasbro board is fine with that in the sense that one segment of the company is outperforming the other. So we will set star wars aside for now.

Gundam, Macross, and to a lesser extent, the competition from the PSP all suggest that the fan base of Transformers has evolved and the bulk now constitutes an older demographic..ages 9-15, as opposed to "ages 3 and up."

1. To reboot the franchise yet still be attractive to the loyal fans who have remained with the company in these dark times, I would talk with marketing and creative depts. about initiating a new cartoon set in the G1 continuity, several thousand years after beast wars/beast machines. Since I'm head of product design, I will leave the story elements to creative control with the essential agreement that the basic premise of the story involves the autobots, decepticons, and an unnamed third player, a different alien faction interested in conquering the cybertronian race (not the quintessons). Because the demographic has changed per the reasoning above, the cartoon can have a darker tone to it, much darker than all previous TF cartoons. It will be in the same tone as Exo-Squad (i.e., deaths, philosophical questions, morality, and all that good stuff). Taking animated's lead, faction leaders will not be optimus prime for the autobots, and no megatron will be seen anywhere for the decepticons. New characters will come into play

2. Have marketing secure a software developer (i'm thinking about bungie) and game publisher to create a new, completely revolutionary video game based on this new cartoon. Distribute on the PS3 and the PSP to bring in the video game audience to the cartoon.

3. Develop toys based on the cartoon. Since the setting is several thousand years after Beast wars, as well as a new third faction entering the scenario, there is plenty of creative opportunity. Since the franchise itself is being rebooted, this toyline will be the ONLY transformers toyline...no universe, no movie line, no animated, no titaniums, etc. etc. This is to streamline the brand and make it less confusing to the general consumer who has no knowledge of transformers, and is deciding between macross, gundam, etc.

4. Gimmicks:

I. The gimmick of power rangers is having combining components that form super robots. Therefore in my new rebooted line, gestalts will return in full force. Since the decepticons have traditionally used gestalt tech more than the autobots, gestalts will be the primary gimmick for the decepticons, with some occasional autobot gestalts coming into play.

II. The autobot gimmick will be large robots that have different alternate modes, a la omega supreme.

III. The third faction gimmick will be non-transformable robots which, according to the story, are the means by which the third race, which is organic, combats the autobots and the decepticons. In terms of engineering and cost considerations, non-transformable robots reduce development time and cost. These non-transformable robots will come in various sizes and forms (humanoid, dinosaur, animal), but initially will only have a few basic forms to see if the concept is successful. Leveraging hasbro expertise in making 3 3/4" figures, the third faction will have action figures representing the organic beings themselves, which can then be fit into their non-transforming robots.

5. The majority of figures for the three factions will be deluxe size. Olny the gimmicks will be voyager/ultra size. Since the deceptions' primary gimmick is gestalts, that means deluxe size and voyager size are the ONLY size classes, which helps cut costs.

6. By killing the other lines (universe, animated, movie, etc.) this enables the design team to focus entirely on my 1 line, and therefore have more unique characters, a wider, more versatile choice of toys (gestalts vs. large transforming robots vs. 3 3/4" figures with their non-transforming robot "vehicles", all supported by deluxe class figures), and almost zero repaints. Since transformers is stagnating, we need to cut the fat and focus on 1 product.

7. Launch marketing campaign. Have it refrain from using "transformers" but instead focus on the factions (autobots, decepticons, third faction) because now that draws more attention to the story than the struggling brand for which the story is made.

Hasbro's marketing, product development, and manufacturing muscle should dwarf that of gundam, macross, and power rangers. I would leverage the full expertise of the company to produce products more cost effecively, yet diverse enough so that they can compete with the other toy lines, and have everything synthesized into an engaging, cohesive and entertaining fiction.

 

LOL. It's highly unlikely Hasbro will ever qualify for TARP. (even in this reality)

How come nobody mentioned stuff like Realistic Vehicle modes and a universal missile (projectile) for all TF missile launchers?

 

My idea

If that happened, id lower the price of leader to 35$ with no sound or lites, but with a ton of weps, make the supreme class toys 45$ with a TON of lites sound and articulation, and make alot of them, and make voyagers 20 bucks, and have the same qualities, and make deluxe/legends two packs for 12$

Revamp a tf show, with a mix of movie and G1 athstetics, and make a total of 55 eps, leading up to a 2 hour movie tv event that ended the series.
the series would involve only cybertron, and its moons, and the plot would be about the allspark being the key to cybertrons life, and it being divided into
many pieces and having to find it.

here is the figs in the line:
Deluxe&legends mix
Decepticons:
Soundwave&Rumble
Scourge&Ratbat
Nemisis prime&Dead end
Soundblaster&Frenzy
Blitzwing&Astrotrain
Autobots:
Wheeljack&gears
Bumblebee&Seaspray
Prowl&Warpath
Jazz&Huffer
Blaster&Eject

Voyager
decepticons:
Bonecrusher
Cyclonus
skorponok
grindor
blackout
starscream
Autobot:
Ironhide
Alpha trion
ratchet
Evac
silverbolt
starsaber
Leader class:
Decepticon:
Megatron
Galvatron
Shockwave
demolishor
Autobot:
Optimus prime
bulkhead
rodimus prime

Supreme
Omega supreme
trypticon
devastator
metroplex

 

I'd make human characters action figures with excellent detail, and some weapons and accessories like the current Star Wars action figures and have like a "Build-A-Droid" pack-in instead it would be a "Build-an-Autobot" or "Build-A-Decepticon" action figure which would be either a "Scout Class" or "Deluxe Class" but if it were deluxe or any bigger the figures would cost a lot more.

The "Scout class" would be more in scale with the figures so the figures could actually ride on these small vehicles. Just a thought I had earlier today.

 

the world has exploded...you are the only human left, floating around space...you were jut elected president...GO!

 

G1 rereleased in classics style and TF toy design would be the rule of the day....

no more fucking TF animated, no Bayformers, no starwars /marvel crossover TF's, all would be banned as enemies of the Hasbro empire.....

Full relaunch of G1 story line starting from the end of the 86 movie forward...targetmasters, headmasters, etc would be the plan for future TF waves...

NO TF PRETENDERS....

 

You're hired!

 

I'd give it a rest of 3 years, then reboot everything again. Only this time with show accurate toys, decent scale and NO GIMMICKS!

 

and you just killed the company, good job.

seeing as the company is doomed to fail, i would go out with a bang: i'll make every figure that the fan boys wanted (yes leader blackout will exist along with supreme omega supreme) and then as the very last transformer, it will be the largest transformer ever created, it will cause the entire planet to buy it for it's WTFery......it will be the size of a toddler.......MASTERPIECE WHEELIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yes.......last move would be to piss EVERYBODY off....i would then run to the brumuna triangle to live the rest of my life cause everyone wants to kill me

 

Me?

I'd say screw all of you corporate movie robot bastards! Let's make some of our original fans happy!!! Re-release the full G1 cartoon series WorldWide and then release the G1 toys as the series progresses!

Remake all the G1 molds as needed, and release them the same way they were back in the 80's. (better plastics, etc of course)

Too bad I'm not a multi multi millionaire, because I would do just that.
300 million? Just make it happen buddy! What's that? $500 million? No problem. I really would do this for all of us G1 fans!

If I hit the big lottery, I promise G1 fans a pot of gold!

 

hire DrSMOOVE and have him create a new TF show (minus the profanity)