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For a game to market itself as a movie tie-in is, in most circumstances, an admittance of mediocrity. Sometimes though, the line isn't quite so black and white. As of late, the Transformers series has found a great amount of success with its titles that act independently from Michael Bay's cinematic universe. It looks like the two worlds could find themselves colliding in a very real way with the recently-announced Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark.

Beginning as an accidental game listing on the UK Amazon store, as reported by Nintendo Life, gamers were made privy to what was touted as "the next installment in the incredible Transformers gaming franchise."

"The next instalment in the incredible Transformers gaming franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is an exciting action game that is perfect for veteran fans and newcomers."

After the success of the Cybertron series of Transformers titles, it's no surprise that gamers were anticipating the series' next installment with Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark. Fast forward to the present and the NYC Toy Fair where Hasbro took to the stage to officially reveal the new Transformers title with the above trailer.

While little is known about the game, it can be inferred that this is the game that Hasbro had filed a trademark for late last year. According to the original speculation, this title was to be a tie-in game for the upcoming Transformers: Age of Extinction movie due to the fact that Hasbro is the toy company that currently has control of the Transformers property. Looking at its name though, it seems as though Activision has situated the game as a separate entity to the movie.

Transformers Rise Of The Dark Spark Announcement

Interestingly enough, the trailer makes mention of "two worlds" while showing what looks to be Optimus Prime in both his movie universe and Cybertron game universe modelling. While this wording could simply be in reference to the struggles between Cybertron and Earth, and the fact that it seems as though players will be able to play the game from either side of the conflict, the prospect of a crossover game is quite enticing. The inclusion of Paramount, the distributer of the movie, combined with the difference in title from the movie could very well make the idea of a crossover a reality.

Whereas the Cybertron series of games, particularly the most recently released Fall of Cybertron (check out our review), received favorable reviews, the movie tie-ins did not receive quite the same fanfare. Whether Rise of the Dark Spark ends up being a game independent of the movie universe, a tie-in, or a crossover of the two could have a great amount of bearing on its success or failure. Expect to hear more about this recently-announced title as the next Transformers movie nears release.

Do you think Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark will be a crossover of the forthcoming movie and game universes? Which Transformer would you most like to see as a playable character?

Source: Nintendo Life