My main gripe about TF2 was that the writers changed Optimus from being the iconic 'childhood hero' that every other version has been to past fans. This one was cold, callous and calculating... pretty much Decepticon in his behaviour, from killing a disabled Decepticon without hesitation at the start, to using and then dumping the body of Jetfire like trash at the end. And since he was dead for most of the movie, he was certainly not one of the Hero elements of TF2.
Those are the sorts of characteristics that Hasbro has power of veto over (one of the few things Bay doesn't have absolute power over in the TFs brand), with their small number of historically iconic characters, so this darkening of Optimus' character and removal of his 'hero' status would had to have been approved by Hasbro. Or else Bay is just making them so much money that they don't care what he does now.