Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark announced

Activision has announced it will release a "video game complement" to Paramount Pictures upcoming film Transformers: Age of Extinction (due out in June). The new game, titled Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, is a a third-person action adventure "that goes beyond the movie," uniting the universe of Michael Bay's Transformers movies with the Cybertron universe established with High Moon Studios. However, this time around, High Moon will not be handling development; instead, Edge of Reality will take over (3DS version will be made by WayForward Technologies).

"Serving as a follow-up to both the upcoming Transformers live-action film and Activision's Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron titles, Transformers: Risde of the Dark Spark jumps worlds and factions as it weaves the tale of the hunt for an ancient relic as powerful as the Matrix of Leadership – the Dark Spark. Players will be able to switch between the heroes of the noble AUTOBOTS and the nefarious DECEPTICONS throughout the single-player campaign. Similar to High Moon Studios' CYBERTRON entries in the highly regarded series, gameplay features nimble, fast-paced running-and-gunning combat paired with traversal and vehicle action across open battlefields for large-scale, dynamic conflicts."

In total, there will be over 40 playable characters to choose from. Rise of the Dark Spark will also see the return of the Escalation multiplayer mode, a wave-based, survival-style game playable with up to four players online. It features new upgradeable defense systems, recognizable adversaries, and an expanded roster of playable characters. There's also a new leveling system that unifies single and multiplayer.

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is due out for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, and PC.