DeNa has signed a three year deal with Hasbro to release mobile device video games based on the Transformers franchise

Press Quote

DeNA to Release Multiple Titles Based on Blockbuster Franchise on Mobage Network During Three-Year Exclusive Agreement

DeNA Co., Ltd. (TSE:2432) and Hasbro (HAS) have entered into an exclusive three-year agreement to develop and publish mobile games based on the TRANSFORMERS™ franchise. The first TRANSFORMERS game from DeNA will be released on the Mobage™ social gaming platform for iOS and Android mobile devices worldwide, with the exception of Japan, later this year.

“Our global platform has continued to thrive and grow, and we’re now investing in major entertainment IP,” said Neil Young, Director of DeNA and CEO of DeNA’s U.S. subsidiary ngmoco, LLC. “TRANSFORMERS is a highly beloved brand, with dynamic characters that are universally cherished by fans. We are excited to bring the TRANSFORMERS world to life for mobile gamers.”

“DeNA is a proven global leader in mobile social games,” said Mark Blecher, GM and SVP, Hasbro Digital Media and Marketing. “We’re delighted to team-up with DeNA to offer a compelling TRANSFORMERS experience on the leading mobile platforms. DeNA’s innovative approach to mobile gaming is a great fit with the TRANSFORMERS brand.”

About DeNA

DeNA Co., Ltd. is a global Internet company focused on social games, e-commerce and other Web services for mobile devices and PCs. DeNA’s current flagship business is its mobile social games platform Mobage, which offers first-, second- and third-party games on four localized user networks across Japan, China, South Korea and the rest of the world. The original Mobage network in Japan currently serves over 40 million registered users with more than 2,000 titles. Founded in 1999 as a small startup in Tokyo, DeNA currently has over 1,800 employees worldwide working at offices and development studios in 16 cities across 11 countries and regions. The company generated annual sales of more than 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year ended March 2012. DeNA is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange (2432). For more information, visit http://www.dena.jp/intl.

About Mobage

Mobage hosts over 50 third-party developer and ngmoco-developed games, with many more titles in development. ngmoco’s mobile social entertainment network offers chart-topping apps including Tiny Tower, Rage of Bahamut, Ninja Royale™ and many popular games. Mobage supports games for everyone from city building games like We Rule®, to casual games such as Zombie Farm® and Tiny Chef™, classic games including Blackjack!, Touch Hockey®, to core-game titles such as Quests & Sorcery™, DragonCraft™ and Blood Brothers™. Mobage games are available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Mobage offers developers access to a suite of features to enhance their mobile and social gaming experience, including a payment API, marketing support and analytics tools. To learn more about Mobage, visit: http://mobage.com or contact gamemakers@ngmoco.com.

About Hasbro's TRANSFORMERS brand

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara Tomy, the TRANSFORMERS brand has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of kids around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the "good-guy" AUTOBOTS and the "bad-guy" DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7,500 robots have been introduced in animated TV series, comic books and three live-action feature films.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. The Hub TV Network is part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), in the U.S. Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies." Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com. ©2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ngmoco, DragonCraft, Quests & Sorcery and We Rule are registered trademarks or trademarks of ngmoco, LLC in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Mobage, Blood Brothers, and Ninja Royale are the registered trademarks or trademarks of DeNA Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. TRANSFORMERS and all associated characters are trademarks of Hasbro. Rage of Bahamut is a registered trademark or trademark of Cygames, Inc. Apple, and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc. All other marks and names are trademarks of their respective companies.

KRE-O TRANSFORMERS KREON MICRO CHANGERS
(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $2.99/Available: Late Summer 2012)

For the first time ever, the KRE-O line launches TRANSFORMERS KREON MICROCHANGERS! Each TRANSFORMERS KREON MICROCHANGERS character features a popular TRANSFORMERS KREON figure robot that can be built and then rebuilt into their alternate mode. For a completely new and never-been-done before building experience, these KREON MICROCHANGERS have 2-in-1 capabilities! KRE-O TRANSFORMERS KREON MICRO CHANGERS launches this fall with a Preview Wave of 6 figures and will introduce additional unique figures next year.

KRE-O TRANSFORMERS KREON MICRO CHANGER COMBINERS Assortment
(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $10.99/Available: Spring 2013)

Taking cues from classic TRANSFORMERS lore, the KREON MICROCHANGERS COMBINERS sets are being introduced for the first time into the world of KRE-O products! Taking the KREON figure multiple builds to the next level, each set contains 4 TRANSFORMERS KREONS robot figures that can be built and then rebuilt into their alternative mode, or combined to form 1 larger super robot! There will be 4 sets available at launch and each will come with approximately 75 pieces. Collect them all, with fan favorite Generation 1 styling and look for more next fall!

The San Diego Comic Con schedule for Hasbro has been annouced.

IDW & Hasbro; Thursday, July 12 at 10:00-11:00am (6:00-7:00pm UK time)
Join IDW Senior Editor John Barber (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), editor Carlos Guzman, and Hasbro's Director of Global Publishing Michael Kelly as they reveal secrets and upcoming plans for Transformers, G.I. Joe, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and more! A new Transformers series will be announced—as will a new license! All this and special guests Larry Hama (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero), Chris Metzen (Transformers: Autocracy), Flint Dille (Transformers: Autocracy), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers: Autocracy), Andrew Griffith (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Brendan Cahill (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Mike Costa (G.I. Joe: Cobra) and surprise guests!

Hasbro: TRANSFORMERS Brand; Thursday, July 12 at 1:30-2:30pm (9:30-10:30pm UK time)
Aaron Archer (Vice President, Hasbro Design) and Jerry Jivoin (Director, Global TRANSFORMERS Brand) discuss the hottest TRANSFORMERS topics including the TRANSFORMERS PRIME and TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS TV series, action figures, videogames, comics, theme park rides and more. Attendees will also get sneak peeks of upcoming action figures and brand news. Jerry and Aaron will also host some Q+A for your burning TRANSFORMERS questions.

Hasbro Studios & The Hub: "OPTIMUS PRIME: Up Close and Personal"; Friday, July 13 at 6:00-7:00pm (2:00-3:00am UK time)
The incomparable Larry King, one of the most recognized broadcast interviewers in the world, goes one-on-one with voice actor Peter Cullen (OPTIMUS PRIME), a talent who is practically synonymous with Comic-Con itself. In this panel, "The King of Interviews" salutes the beloved Cullen and takes attendees through the actor's early days on the original 1984 animated TRANSFORMERS TV series, the three box office smash TRANSFORMERS movies, and his current work on The Hub TV network's Daytime Emmy® Award-winning animated series TRANSFORMERS PRIME from Hasbro Studios. Audience Q&A to follow.

Activision: TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron Voice Talent; Saturday, July 14 at 10:00-11:00am (6:00-7:00pm UK time)
Legendary TRANSFORMERS voice talent and game experts at developer High Moon Studios will come together in one epic panel to discuss their roles in the upcoming Activision video game, TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron. The panel will feature Peter Cullen, voice of OPTIMUS PRIME, Gregg Berger, voice of GRIMLOCK, Nolan North, voice of CLIFFJUMPER and BRUTICUS, Matt Tieger, High Moon Studios Game Director and David Cravens, High Moon Studios Senior Creative Director. The panel will give everyone an inside look into bringing favorite characters to life in the making of the game, as well as answers to the questions fans want to know.

Hasbro Inc. (HAS) appears all set to boost its Entertainment segment via Hasbro Studios for television and alliance with movie studios like Paramount, Universal Pictures, Sony and Relativity. Hasbro started the year on a positive note and will likely perform better in the coming quarters on a strong sales momentum from the 3D version of Star Wars, Battleship worldwide launch in April (with the U.S. launch in May), Avengers Assembled (May release) and Spiderman 4 (set to debut in July 2012). Other films in the queue are Ouija, CandyLand, Stretch Armstrong, Clue and Monopoly.

Added to this, Hasbro, in association with Paramount Pictures, was nearly ready for the big screen appearance of G.I. Joe Retaliation on June 29 this year. But the premiere has now been pushed to the next year.  To cash in on the global popularity of 3D versions, .I. Joe Retaliation will now appear in 3D suit on March 29, 2013. The strong pipeline ensures that Hasbro’s entertainment initiatives will contribute to its revenue as well as toy-sales.

However, the last moment delay of G.I. Joe Retaliation could be the result of the recent box-office underperformance of The Battleship movie in the U.S. We believe, management does not want to lose any single chance to make the recent G.I. Joe edition a huge success and seeks to go bigger with the brand. As a point of reference, the first G.I. Joe garnered sizable revenue in 2009. So far in the year, Star Wars and Avengers were flourishing in box-offices with Avengers being one of the well-accepted boys’ toys brands at the current level. Battleship delivered strong starts internationally, in particular markets like Asia and Europe.

Revenue from the Entertainment and Licensing segment increased 19% year over year to $29.3 million in first-quarter 2012 backed by the sales of television programming globally, as well as movie and  licensing revenue from Transformers. According to management, there are various strong motion picture and television entertainment backed properties doing well at retail.

For full year 2012, Hasbro reiterated its target to grow revenues and earnings per share excluding foreign exchange fluctuation. However, we are a bit doubtful about the magnitude of the growth as G.I. Joe is now out of the 2012 show. The apprehension is also reflected in the analysts’ estimate. Following the news, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full-year 2012 was slashed by 3 out of 11 analysts in the last 7 days while none went for any increment. Coming to magnitude of revision, the estimate was cut by 2 cents to $2.88 per share for the fiscal year.

Hasbro, which competes with the likes of Mattel Inc. (MAT), currently retains a Zacks #3 Rank, which translates into a short-term Hold rating. We are maintaining our long-term Neutral recommendation on the stock.

Following on from the recent news story regarding the Australian release of Masterpiece Optimus Prime version 2, where we commented that we'd expect Toys R Us to pick him up within the UK, well it seems that Hasbro UK have now come out and pretty much confirmed out thoughts.  TFW2005.com member Sweeny28 has posted a copy of an email reply sent by Hasbro UK to a question he posted them regarding a possible UK release.  The email, which can be seen below, confimred that Hasbro are hoping to release the toy on these shores in the Winter and that they are looking for a major toy specialist to pick up the figure in order to distribute him.

Here's a copy of the full email:

"RE: Transformers MP10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime
Thank you for your email.

We are hoping to be able to bring the Masterpiece Optimus Prime in to the Transformers line this winter and if available you will be able to find it major Toy specialist stores. More information will be available in the coming months

May we thank you for contacting Hasbro and if we can be of any further assistance, either now or in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind Regards,

Kate

Hasbro UK Ltd
00800 22427276"

Hasbro have posted the answers from their Transformer Prime Q&A with the legendary Frank Welker onto their Facebook page.

1) Randy Young: What are your thoughts on why Transformers has become such a pop culture icon and endures to this day?

FW: Honestly, I think early on the ability to move the characters and have them transform was a brilliant design idea. You ended up with two figures not just one. The figures themselves were well thought out and stood apart from what was being made at the time. Also, Hasbro never sits idle for long they must have “mad scientist” idea men who work around the clock to keep coming up with new ideas, takes and concepts. I think that helps keep interest in the brand and grabs a new group of fans in each generation. Some things work and some don’t but they never stop trying to please the fans and it blows me away that they have listened to you guys and kept Prime, and Megatron as the leading force in the franchise. That kind of loyalty is not often seen in the biz.

2) Chibi Chan: If you could bring in any of the transformers from the other generations into Transformers Prime, who would they be and why?

FW: Chibi, you know what I would really like to see is a tribute to the G1 series and have a special that included the entire past cast or as many as we could assemble for a terrific 90 minute or two hour event. I know a lot of the guys and gals that are around and would love to do it. It’s problematic to bring charters into CGI life it’s very expensive so it would have to be like the old animated show and done in flat animation.

As to who I would bring into Transformers Prime, that is a tough question…there were so many I had affection for but you know what might be a good idea, have a contest and let you the fans vote for one Autobot and one Decepticon that you would like to see inserted into the TFP shows.

3) Christopher Curi: Mr. Welker, have any of your characters ever been modeled after the voice you create for them, or do you create the voice based on what the characters already look like?

FW: Hi Christopher, it is almost, with rare exception, the latter. We usually create the voice based on what we see or a verbal description by the producer or director. My favorite process is looking at the drawing or picture and then letting us the actors just come up with a voice to fit what we see. That is what Wally Burr director in the G1 days did with us. Almost always, that will be the best voice for the actor to perform because it is his initial gut instinct. But it usually doesn’t go down that way. The writer, the producer, and the director all have ideas that they want to be incorporated and often the amalgam is far from the actor’s first impression. Sometimes it works out great with the team effort…but to me the less messing around the better, after all if a picture is worth a thousand words that should be plenty enough.

4) Barry Koch: how hard is it to get the voice of Megatron down to the perfect pitch?

FW: Barry, just like feeling better some days than others there are times I feel such power and strength with Megatron it’s like flying effortlessly. Then there are those few days where I have to physically kick it up a notch to get him where I want him. There is technique for this…when I feel he isn’t quite as edgy as I would like, I do some low unearthly growls to get into character then I play the microphone on its stand just like it was a boxing opponent. I concentrate on the mike as a presence and bob and weave and pounce. I know that may sound a bit melodramatic but it works for me. The sound engineer may stop me once in a while because I am off mike but it really does the trick for the acting beats and getting vocal control.
Now I think is the time I should say, “I am a professional don’t try this at home”…but I would suggest it is a great way to get into character or maybe loosen up for work?? So put on your best evil face and move swiftly making guttural sounds, bob and weave and enjoy irritating the bejesus out of those around you!!! Yes, Barry, I say…”Start your day the Megatron way.”

Hasbro have now published several official images of the toys for the upcoming video game Transformers Fall of Cybertron.  The toys are Fireflight, Kickback, Ultra Magnus, Sideswipe and Starscream and can be seen below.

The Autobots

The Deceptions

The Auto Assembly team have issued the following press release

AUTO ASSEMBLY 2012 IMPORTANT GOODIE BAG UPDATE

It is with great sadness that we are forced to announce a change to the advertised Auto Assembly 2012 attendee goodie bags. This change will affect every attendee who is eligible to receive a goodie bag, so it would be most appreciated if we could please have your attention for just a moment.

It had been our intention to include a free IDW Transformers comic within every goodie bag this year. This comic was to be an exclusive variant cover of  Regeneration One Issue 81.  The comic was going to be limited to a print run of just 1,000 copies and only made available at Auto Assembly and Auto Assembly Europe. (Long term fans will remember that we also had exclusive IDW comics in 2009 and 2010).

The cover was going to use 1980's style artwork, drawn by marvel Transformers artist Jeff Anderson, with colours by Kris Carter and was intended to be a tribute to the Marvel UK run featuring a special "corner box" with art by Nick Roche. As an homage to the Marvel UK series, which culminated in issue 332, our plan was to use dual numbers on the front of the comic, meaning it would have been both issue 81 and issue 333. A true exclusive for our attendees.

Martin Fisher from the Auto Assembly team worked very hard to make the comic a reality, as did IDW; we therefore wish to extend our sincere thanks both to Martin and to IDW editor John Barber, who took time out of his busy schedule to try and make the exclusive comic a success for our attendees. John's work is massively appreciated and it should be noted that he and IDW did everything in their power to bring issue 333 to life. We are truly grateful for their support.

Sadly, the comic was not to be. At the 11th hour, with our artists poised to start work on the new cover, the issue was vetoed, seemingly without any explanation by the license holders, Hasbro US.

Obviously this has come as a great disappointment to ourselves and no doubt, will be to our attendees as well. We would like to explain why the decision was taken but sadly, no explanation has been given to us other than that Hasbro US do not at this time wish for IDW to produce another Auto Assembly comic. Sadly, it is our understanding that IDW themselves have not been presented with a firm reason either.

On behalf of the entire Auto Assembly committee, we are truly sorry that we are not able to provide you, our attendees, with the exclusive IDW comic which you had been promised. However, we are sure our attendees will appreciate that sadly, this issue is completely beyond the control of both Auto Assembly and IDW, who worked together in good faith before the plans were stopped. We are sure there is probably a very simple reason for the decision made by Hasbro US and if we receive further explanation from them we will of course share it with you.

So, the question now is, were does this leave your goodie bags?  Well, as sad as we are, we absolutely refuse to leave our attendees disappointed - we promised you a comic and we are still going to deliver on that promise!

Obviously we are not able to produce an official comic for the reasons outlined above, but that gives us a great deal of flexibility. So rather than simply giving you an exclusive cover, we are going to give you a completely new full colour comic! This will be included in all eligible goodie bags, free of charge.

Jeff Anderson will still be providing the cover artwork for this new comic and Kris Carter too is adamant that attendees should receive a first class product and so, as well as providing cover colours, Kris has begun writing an exclusive 6 page comic script for us. But that's not all you will receive in this issue. Our current plan, ambitious as it may be so close to our print deadline, is to give you an issue which includes at least three different comic stories, created by collaborations between professional comic creative talent and fans alike. The response we have had from our artists is both fantastic and humbling; they are truly lighting our darkest hour by putting the "Assembly" into Auto Assembly!

In addition to this comic, goodie bags will also include a copy of our full colour convention exclusive fanzine, The Cybertronian Times (which in previous years had been an additional £7 purchase). And of course, you will still receive the usual array of convention exclusive merchandise, including Auto Assembly postcards which might just have some artwork you could have signed by our guests of honour!

And to really show you just how much we appreciate your understanding and support, we are planning to include one or two surprise goodie bag items; of course, we're not going to give everything away just yet, so you'll just have to check your goodie bags for those!

Furthermore, whilst the issue with the IDW comic is sadly out of our hands, we cannot simply stand by and watch our attendees being short changed.  We do very much believe that the goodie bag on offer is great value for money, but Auto Assembly only comes by once a year and we want our attendees to be able to take home with them something extra special to remind them of the show.

Therefore, after much consideration we have decided to increase production of our convention exclusive lithograph.  Previously only available to attendees who had booked rooms in the Hilton at our convention rate, we are instead going to provide a copy of the lithograph – free of charge – to each and every attendee who should have received the exclusive comic in their goodie bags.  This is going to be a large scale, full colour print, produced by a professional artist, which will be available exclusively at Auto Assembly events this year.

Finally, as a special treat for everybody who has taken the time to read this statement, we thought we'd give you a heads up that a major comic guest is going to cross the ocean to attend Auto Assembly 2012 - and we will be announcing that person sometime in the next 14 days! And we will also be announcing the artist for our lithograph as well so keep your eyes peeled!

Sadness and disappointment aside, we are determined to provide you with the best ever Auto Assembly goodie bag this year. We wish to thank you for your continued support of the convention and, once again, we wish to offer our sincere thanks to IDW. Now let's make Auto Assembly 2012 the best convention ever!

For more details on Auto Assembly 2012 which is taking place over the weekend of 3rd - 5th August 2012 in Birmingham, England or to book your tickets or find out information about booking dealers tables, visit the website at www.autoassembly.org.uk and for all the latest news on Auto Assembly Europe, visit www.autoassemblyeurope.eu

The Auto Assembly Team

Web: www.autoassembly.org.uk / www.transformersvideogames.co.uk / www.ct-alpha.com
Auto Assembly Europe: www.autoassemblyeurope.eu
Youtube: www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter: www.twitter.com/auto_assembly
Forum: http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/forum
Email: contact@autoassembly.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7860 948296

Auto Assembly is sponsored by

Toyz And Gamez - www.toyzandgamez.co.uk
TF Source - www.tfsource.com
Robot Kingdom - www.robotkingdom.com
Transformers @ The Moon - www.transformertoys.co.uk
TransformersAnimated.com - www.transformersanimated.com
TheTransformers.net - www.thetransformers.net
Titan Books - www.titanbooks.com
3 Darths Comics - www.3darthscomics.co.uk
Science Fiction Collectables - www.sf-collectables.co.uk
Big Bad Toy Store - www.bbts.com
Xyber Toys - www.xybertoys.com

Botcon have issued the following announcement confirm that they, and Hasbro, have reversed their "no fan art" stance for Botcon 2012

"We're pleased to announce, per Hasbro, that artist tables will be allowed at BotCon 2012 as we have allowed it in the past, and will be permissible as part of the show. Hasbro sympathizes and understands fans' discouragement with the previous statements concerning fan art, and while remaining steadfast in the right to protect its IP in regards to unlicensed merchandise, wants to ensure fans can continue to enjoy the BotCon experience which they know is made so great in large part by the fan community."

Hasbro have issued the following press release regarding a multi-year deal they have signed with Netflix

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based television production and distribution division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), today announced a multi-year deal with Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX). Ten highly popular franchises, including new and catalog seasons of famed Hasbro content, will be available to instantly watch on Netflix.


“This deal allows us to offer even more great kids’ programming to our members, both adults and kids alike, including new seasons of My Little Pony, Transformers Prime, and Pound Puppies after the season finale airs on The Hub.”
.
Transformers Prime, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, G.I. Joe: Renegades and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends are now available to instantly watch on Netflix. JEM & The Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will follow later in 2012.

The Hasbro content will be available on Netflix and included in the Netflix “Just For Kids” section. Netflix “Just For Kids” is a collection of TV shows and movies that is specifically selected for children 12 and under, making it easier and more fun for kids and families to browse and instantly watch a large selection of kid-friendly TV shows and movies within Netflix.

"We are very excited to be working with Hasbro Studios," said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Content Acquisition at Netflix. "This deal allows us to offer even more great kids’ programming to our members, both adults and kids alike, including new seasons of My Little Pony, Transformers Prime, and Pound Puppies after the season finale airs on The Hub."

“We are pleased that consumers will now be able to watch our award-winning programming on Netflix, the leading internet subscription service,” Hasbro Studios President Stephen Davis said. “We are making our content easy to access, anytime, anywhere and on all platforms where audiences are consuming content and this is a big step forward with our all screen strategy.”

About Netflix

With more than 23 million streaming members in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Netflix, Inc. [NASDAQ: NFLX] is the world's leading internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV programs. For about US$7.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV programs streamed over the internet to PCs, Macs and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, internet-connected TVs, home theatre systems, digital video recorders and internet video players; Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV. In all, more than 700 devices that stream from Netflix are available. For additional information, visit http://www.netflix.com. Follow Netflix on Facebook and Twitter.

About Hasbro Studios

Hasbro Studios is the Los Angeles-based television production division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS). The studio develops and produces shows based on Hasbro’s world class brands, including TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY, LITTLEST PET SHOP and SCRABBLE. Many of these shows air on The Hub, a television network for kids and their families. Studio programming can also be seen in more than 160 countries globally. The Hub is a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

HAS-S




Contacts


Hasbro, Inc.
News Media
Julie Duffy, 401-727-5931
or
Investors
Debbie Hancock, 401-727-5456
or
Netflix Inc.
Nada Antoun, 408-348-1239

Hasbro have released the following press release covering the induction of Chris Latta and Simon Furman into the Transformers Hall of Fame

LEGENDARY VOICE ACTOR TO RECEIVE FIRST POSTHUMOUS INDUCTION INTO HASBRO’S TRANSFORMERS HALL OF FAME
Chris Latta, the Voice of Starscream, to Be Honored, Along With Prolific TRANSFORMERS Comic Writer Simon Furman and a New Crop of Robots, at Ceremony in Dallas, Texas on April 28

Pawtucket, R.I. (MARCH 9, 2012) - Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is proud to announce the induction of two legendary figures in the evolution of the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise-comic book writer Simon Furman, and legendary voice actor Chris Latta-into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Furman has written TRANSFORMERS comics on and off for almost 30 years, and has written more TRANHSFORMERS comic books than anyone else. Chris Latta voiced ten Transformers characters in the early animated series, including STARSCREAM and WHEELJACK. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1994, however his posthumous award will be accepted by his family at the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame ceremony, April 28, 2012, during BOTCON, the Official TRANSFORMERS Convention, in Dallas, Texas.

Founded in 2010 to honor those influential in creating and building the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise, as well as actual "ROBOTS IN DISGUISE," the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame has previously honored writer Bob Budiansky, voice of Optimus Prime Peter Cullen, original TRANSFORMERS designers Yoke Hideaki and Kojin Ohno and the Director and Executive Producer of the live-action film trilogy, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.

Simon Furman: Simon Furman is one of the most recognized and respected names in the world of TRANSFORMERS comic books. Furman began his run on TRANSFORMERS comics writing the first UK version of the TRANSFORMERS imprint. Later on, Furman took over the role of writer on the U.S. comic adaptation beginning with issue 56 and ending with issue 80, the final comic to be published in the series. In 1993 with the reintroduction of the TRANSFORMERS brand under the "Generation 2" banner, Furman was once again tapped to pen the 12 issue comic series. Nearly ten years later, Furman returned to the world of mainstream TRANSFORMERS comics as part of the "Dreamwave" writing staff. Simon Furman now writes for IDW comics, where in 2012 and by popular demand, he was asked to continue the story of the original TRANSFORMERS comics right where he had left off beginning with issue 81 of TRANSFORMERS ReGeneration One.

Chris Latta: The first TRANSFORMERS animated television series began to air in 1984, and as part of the original cast, voice actor Chris Latta helped breathe life into these animated robotic characters.
Chris Latta began his voice over career in the late 1970s. In 1983, Latta joined the cast of the G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO animated series as COBRA COMMANDER, the leader of the evil mega maniacal organization COBRA. Later, on the TRANSFORMERS series, Latta pioneered the role of STARSCREAM, a back handed and conniving character that constantly plotted to usurp his leader MEGATRON for control over the DECEPTICONS. Latta’s portrayal of both STARSCREAM and COBRA COMMANDER have made these characters two of the most iconic and widely recognized in their respective brands. Unfortunately, Chris Latta passed away in 1994; however his family will be on hand at the Hall of Fame event to accept the award on his behalf.


Hasbro will also induct four more iconic robot characters into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Heroic AUTOBOT JAZZ, fan-favorite DINOBOT GRIMLOCK and evil DECEPTICON SHOCKWAVE will all be honored. In addition, TRANSFORMERS fans around the world are able to vote on TRANSFORMERS.com for a fourth robot to receive the 2012 "Fans’ Choice" honor. Fan-chosen nominees include ARCEE, MEGATRON (BEAST WARS), WHEELJACK, RODIMUS and SKY-BYTE. The winner will be revealed for the first time at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at "BOTCON" on April 28, 2012. Voting is open from now until March 21st on TRANSFORMERS.COM

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara as a toy line, the TRANSFORMERS brand
has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of boys around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the "good-guy" AUTOBOTS and the "bad-guy" DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7500 robots have been introduced in countless animated TV series, comic books and three live-action feature films. For further information visit the official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page at Facebook.com/Transformers.

# # #

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dealers who will be trading at Botcon have received an email stating that Hasbro and Fun Publications reserve the right to confiscate any and all unlicensed materials.  You'll find a copy of the announcement below.

"Promoter and its designees, including Hasbro, Inc., each reserves the right to ban or deny display of any item for any reason. Promoter and its designees, including Hasbro, Inc., each reserves the right to confiscate any items that violates these rules and regulations. Exhibitor agrees to permit such confiscation without incident and agrees that all confiscated items shall become the property of Promoter or its designee and may be turned over to the appropriate authorities. Exhibitor herby [sic] waives and all claims against the Promotor [sic] or Hasbro, Inc. with respect to any removal of person or confiscation of items."

Credit to FullMetalHero for the news.

Update:

Pete has posted a response on behalf of Botcon over on TFW2005.com

I am afraid that details will not be provided. There are SO many 3rd party items, no one is going to provide a list of what is acceptable "unlicensed" toys.

Hasbro have, unsuprisingly, posted their support for Fun Publications after the recent credit card issues.  The official statement reads as follows

To the G.I. Joe and Transformers fan communities and Fun Publications customers,

Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention and for giving Hasbro the opportunity to respond to a matter that impacts its G.I. Joe and Transformers brands. Please know we take all consumer concerns very seriously and are in regular contact with Fun Publications (our licensee) about the possibility of a breach in security to their online purchasing system for the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors' Clubs. Fun Publications is also taking this matter very seriously and is diligently working at identifying any problems, the number of customers affected and ways to ensure it does not happen to any more customers. Hasbro wants consumers to have a positive experience at all touch points for its brands, including transactions with its licensees. As such, we are confident that Fun Publications has detailed instructions and pertinent information available for those consumers who believe they may have been targeted by credit theft via their portals.

Based on our extensive conversations with the Fun Publications team Hasbro wants to convey the following to the fan communities:

Fun Publications has assured us that they are taking necessary measures to curb additional issues, and they are working with third party experts to identify the problem. They anticipate knowing and communicating the cause of the breach as soon as possible to those affected.

-- They believe that the number of customers affected is low relative to the volume of sales transactions made.

-- However, if you believe fraudulent charges have been made to your credit card after making a purchase with any portals for the G.I. Joe or Transformers Collectors' Clubs, we urge you to contact Fun Publications immediately and provide them with the information requested at https://www.transformersclub.com/tccccinfo.cfm or GIJOECLUB.COM - The Official G.I. Joe Collectors' Club! by using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of these pages.

-- Fun Publications can also be reached at the following number for additional consumer affairs inquiries relating to the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors' Clubs at (817) 448-9863 during regular business hours.

-- As more information becomes available, they will be contacting all affected customers who have notified them about the issue.

Thank you again to all of the fans of our Transformers and G.I. Joe brands for their continued support and for the opportunity to respond to this matter.

Sincerely,

Joe Moscone
on behalf of Hasbro, Inc.

It is a shame Fun Pubs ignored an email from us a few years back when we pointed out flaws in their security systems which we found whilst buying items.

Hasbro are now taking names for the 2012 Hall of Fame

In 2010, Hasbro inducted humans and robots from the worlds of toys, entertainment and CYBERTRON into the inaugural class of its TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame, honoring more than 25 years of “robots in disguise” action. Now in its third year, Hasbro is once again turning to fans to help finalize the 2012 robot inductee class.

?Hasbro’s internal panel of judges has chosen three iconic characters to induct into the TRANFORMERS Hall of Fame in 2012—Heroic AUTOBOTS JAZZ and GRIMLOCK, as well as evil DECEPTICON SHOCKWAVE. But we need your help to determine this year's fourth robot inductee!

Check back on Transformers.com later in March to cast your vote for the “Fans Choice” TRANSFORMERS robot to be inducted into the 2012 class.??

The winning character will be announced at the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, April 28 at BOTCON, the Official TRANSFORMERS Convention in Dallas, TX.??

The TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame was created to honor those influential in building the iconic entertainment brand, as well as the actual “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE.” The inaugural induction ceremony was held at BotCon 2010. TRANSFORMERS influentials Bob Budiansky, Peter Cullen, Hideaki Yoke, and Kohjin Ohno were members of the inaugural class, along with five notable robot characters that are a part of TRANSFORMERS lore. The previous robot honorees (who are ineligible for the fan-voted slot in this year's ceremony) are:

OPTIMUS PRIME
BUMBLEBEE
MEGATRON
STARSCREAM
DINOBOT
IRONHIDE
RATCHET
SOUNDWAVE
WASPINATOR

The Transformers official facebook page has revealed the official shot of Transformers Fall of Cybertron Bruticus