Studio Trigger Rolls Out With a Mysterious Transformers Anime Project

Along with Hollywood’s massive live-action movies, the Transformers have been cutting up on the small screen with multiple TV shows over the years. While Transformers: Earthspark’s second season just hit Paramount+ back in June, something brand new appears to be waiting in the wings.

Earlier in the week, anime studio Trigger (best known for Promare, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and Delicious in Dungeon) revealed it was working on something to celebrate the popular toy franchise’s newest benchmark. The Robots in Disguise turn 40 this year, and the short teaser features some brief glimpses of series mascots Optimus Prime and Megatron (plus Bumblebee and Hot Rod) in the famous G1 versions of their iconic designs, and Trigger’s reimagining of those. (Interestingly, some eagle-eyed viewers spotted Optimus from Transformers Animated!) But as far as what Trigger is specifically making—like a simple celebration video or something bigger like an intro for an unannounced game—is currently under wraps.

Transformers and animationn have always been tight, but this marks the franchise’s third time dipping into actual anime following Transformers: Cybertron in 2005 and the Japan-only Transformers Go! in 2015. Conversely, Trigger is no stranger to the mecha scene: beginning with 2018’s Darling in the Franxx, it’s worked on mecha projects under the Gridman series. Given the studio’s larger pedigree, it’ll be exciting to see what Trigger’s doing for the franchise’s birthday, because you know it’ll look good as hell.

While we wait for more information on this mysterious Transformers venture, Transformers One may scratch any itch you have for some good animated material from the franchise. That movie hits theaters on September 20, and you can look forward to our review closer to release.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.