There is a LOT of information here (Thanks ZacWilliam for the slide images!). Unfortunately…it is all vague enough that we’re all just speculating here.
I have thoughts, but I’m not sure I have enough to really formulate a full “perspective” on this all…but here’s my take:
In regards to the media planning slides, while only a few months old (from the Seibertron copy of the slides), that doesn’t preclude changes. The general rumors point to Earthspark ending, possibly after post-series specials (like Cyberverse or Nick’s Rise of the TMNT). But given the lead times for production, it is quite possible Hasbro IS well into development of a follow up series.
That said, I do find it notable that while Cyberworld is noted as a brand initiative..it is NOT noted as part of the brand story telling segment. In fact, the slide remarks Cyberworld as a “New Kids Segment”, NOT a new series. So I think people are just assuming, at the moment, Cyberworld is a new cartoon when it could (and at this stage, likely) to be some sort of new product range.
But what could Cyberworld be? Without even pricing information, what we have is just a few assortments and some names. The lack of any direct media tie in (at the moment) says to me the line COULD be some sort of “cross generation”, a bridge between the new characters and interpretations featured in Earthspark or Rescue Bots and the nostalgia driven legacy characters of Generations. I have my “idealized version” of that, and then the reality will probably be vastly different.
Given the “World” in the title, it could be a return of the mini-figure play pattern, or possible some variation on a standardized core figure size supplemented with “play set” type products. FWIW, I said last year that I ADORED the Rise of the Beast Weaponizer figures, they were modestly sized, decently articulated, but still simple; slap a little extra paint and they’d be fine entry type toys. Another analogous offering would be the Cyberverse Spark Armor figures but without the armor parts and more paint and less “crap”. I wouldn’t be adverse to Hasbro being able to get a decent, traditional, Transformers figure out at the $13-ish range.
From the listings, it’s clear there will be some sort of big Grimlock toy, and possibly a large Scorponok toy/set. Cyberchangers feels like an entry type product like 1 steps…but I think 1 steps might remain the purview of the media-centric initiatives. Which, again, means if they are smaller, simpler traditional toys, they might not be all that bad if they don’t have to ascribe to a central gimmick. Armor Cyber Changers is clearly a ”upgrade” of the CyberChanger assortment, but without prices, it all doesn’t tell much. Names give us Mirage (who is apparently also due to make an appearance in Earthspark), Skybyte, Snarl, along with likely a Megatron BULLdozer(?) and Off road Optimus Prime.
Worth noting, if this even means anything, the G#’s associated with the leaked Swapticon gimmick line aren’t terribly far off from the CyberChanger numbers we have with this leak. Those listings were heavy on legacy characters as well, so maybe it’s part of the same line?
