(little joke there because the series where Optimus is a gorilla is so full of canon nonsense that it's the exception to the rule ANYWAY I'M DONE NOW)

however unlike Who (and Bond for that matter), they're explicit about burning everything down every cycle. so there's no traction for "is this still canon" because the answer is "that was canon in that series but we're doing this series now, where Optimus is a gorilla"

what really helps this whole churn is that it's a franchise for kids, with an underpinning of adult collectors shovelling money into it. so each new reboot will be some kid's "real" transformers, and the others weird and strange. v. similar to Who in that regard

the closest would be the initial response to the Michael Bay movies, where it split into "why isn't this a live version of the cartoon" and "this is new and stupid, it's great" but that's an old argument, and now they're just another interpretation.

I won't bore you with the actual "lore", but the franchise essentially resets itself every few years, and has gone through so many permutations, comic series, reboots of comic series, alternate universes, and reimaginings that any fan outrage about canon would have very little to grasp onto.

you know what long running media property with an inexplicably rabid fanbase has dealt with this the best, imo?

Transformers.

wall sized calendar with pieces of Wyrmick plate behind each door, what a dream

yelling "FASTER AND MORE SQUEAKY" at my Scop, who's rendition of Beowulf is beginning to sound like a cover version by Alvin and the Chipmunks.

so the dude /accidentally/ made a game where the great Libertarian savior is a complete rube who gets conned by a grifter then throws away his "ideals" at the first hint that he might lose control/power.

it's worse/funnier than that - from what I understand, Ken Levine is himself a Libertarian and didn't actually mean for Bioshock to be a savage critique on Libertarian ideals.

Sure, but let's not forget this succinct review of Bioshock Infinite.

do this but also explicitly state that this is all in canon and she's the same Bond as before, just after coming to some conclusions about why they felt forced into performing greater and greater acts of toxic masculinity

four different Bonds show up, each claiming to be the real one. Young Bond, Cyborg Bond, Robot Suit Bond, and Bond Wearing Big Sunglasses.