The world of Smite was already more than meets the eye thanks to numerous pop-culture crossovers, so it almost makes sense that Optimus Prime would lead the charge for a full battle pass full of skins from the beloved G1 Transformers cartoon. Originally released in 2014, Smite features a huge cast of characters representing several pantheons of gods and mythical figures from across the world. Seeing the crossover of the Greek god Zeus taking on Norse mythology's Thor was already a big part of the game's appeal, and developer Titan Forge has expanded that out to pop culture cameos in recent years to keep the game fresh.

Some of the characters added to this clash of Gods make more sense than others. The cast of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender appeared in Smite recently, alongside sequel series The Legend of Korra. These characters have powers in line with a lot of mythological figures, so their inclusion as skins last June makes some sense. While there are certain characters in-game who wield melee weapons, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are more dubious inclusions, although any '80s kid will probably disregard the logical inconsistencies in order to rock their favorite party turtle as they defend the ancients.

Related: Stranger Things Smite Crossover Skins Include Demogorgon & Eleven

It seems that the heroes in a half-shell were a hit, as fellow Saturday morning cartoon staple Transformers are joining Smite in the game's next battle pass this November. Titan Forge's latest trailer reveals that Autobot leader Optimus Prime will battle Decepticons Starscream and Megatron as skins for Geb, Jing Wei, and Ra respectively. Each character has two skins on the pass, with one featuring the character integrating into Smite's graphical style and one taking things all the way back to the G1 days utilizing cel-shaded video game graphics.

Watch the trailer for the new Transformers battle pass in Smite on YouTube here.

The G1 versions of the characters are exclusive to the Prestige Track, which extends the 60 tier Battle Pass all the way to level 120. Players only have to buy the pass one time, but getting all the way to the end of this supersized track will mean playing a lot of Smite in the few months that the content is available. If past crossover events are any indication, the pass will also unlock various cosmetic items along the way, with some of them tying into Transformers. The specifics of these items aren't known as of yet, but anyone who wants to represent Cybertron and all its residents will likely get that chance if they buy in next month.

With the MOBA genre as a whole settling into the same niche as MMORPGs and auto battlers, Hi-Rez injecting familiar characters into Smite is a brilliant move. Everyone knows how well these types of events work for games like Fortnite, and that same energy can keep a game in the spotlight even if it only serves a small but dedicated player base in its old age. Considering how many online-only games go dark after just a few years on the market and how some of Hi-Rez's earlier titles have faded into obscurity, it's great to see the publisher make strides to keep its portfolio thriving as the years go on.

Next: How to Earn Free Gems in Smite

Source: SMITE by Titan Forge Games/YouTube