Pretty sure this is Hasbro just having a bit of fun by leaning into what's become an indelible part of the brand's history. There's some humor in finally, belatedly, shifting from just rah rah celebrating the movie to acknowledging that oh yeah, that's also where THAT happened, and putting what's arguably a very "current" spin on it. The Reaction Video clips from people (which partly explains those too young to have been contemporaneous with the movie), the whole notion of an explicitly labeled damage control Apology Tour... It's a very postmodern bit, and a funny one. In this current era, nostalgia-mining is itself old hat, and legacy or anniversary celebrations are so commonplace they're becoming transparent as cash-grabs. So to bother to put a spin on Yet Another Anniversary Celebration is appreciated, and all the better that it's got some lolz to it.
That said, of course there are morons out there who'll think this is entirely sincere and that this company, who's been making money by selling them toys of Dead Optimus Prime, actually feels bad about killing off the character and is just now realizing it was a bad move (not, y'know, right after it happened, making them undo it), and is now approaching them on bended knee for forgiveness to not go broke, as if they ever stopped throwing money at the company. There's already "hurr durr 40 years late" posts, and I think at least one "why isn't Hot Rod delivering this apology", dusting off the unfunny joke they've milked for 40 years. Of course there are.
It's absolutely not that deep, but neither are some people.
Still, there's no point expecting any different, so I'm just tuning all that right out and enjoying this fun little gag.
That said, from childhood I've been wanting to see this in an actual theater. At the time I only ever saw it on borrowed bootleg VHS, then another borrowed bootleg VHS years later that was more tracking than Transformers, and it would be quite the experience to get this colorful sensory overload on a huge screen. "Dare" and "The Touch" and Orson Welles' voice in full surround, bathing in the big-screen light of Matrix glow and explosions? Mmm.
But then again, I'd have to watch it with a normie audience. I don't relish the idea of seeing it with a theater full of fellow fans, whom I can only picture as itching to get their jive in at the predictable times because they've had 40 years to practice their comedy routines and we're at an all-time peak for "make this about me" behavior as a society.
Of course they probably won't, not out in the real world with real people, and I'm probably just being a mis(f)anthrope. But ehh, it's not like such a return to theaters is ever going to happen in this corner of the woods anyway.