When Unknown 9: Awakening did not achieve the expected success, producer Reflector found the project unsuccessful and made layoffs.
Reflector Entertainment, Unknown 9: Awakening He admitted that his game did not perform as expected. Disappointing sales and player feedback since the game’s launch in 2024 pushed the studio to make a difficult decision. This situation was not limited only to the failure of the studio’s first project; It also led to the cancellation of a yet-to-be-announced project and layoffs.
Unknown 9: Awakening and Its Performance Below Expectations
Unknown 9: Awakening, released on October 17, 2024, was released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms. The game, which centers on the story of Haroona, a young Indian woman, discovering her powers, aimed to create a wide “story universe”. However, the game received mixed reviews from critics and failed to meet the studio’s expectations commercially. Reflector stated that even investments in the game’s development process and timeline changes could not fix this situation.
Reflector Entertainment restructured after the failure and laid off some employees. The studio said it will offer adequate severance pay, health care and career planning support to affected employees. Company CEO Herve Hoerdt stated that the layoffs were necessary for the studio to adopt a “single project approach”. He also noted that some laid-off employees may be transferred to another unannounced project.
Bandai Namco, Reflector’s parent company, announced that it will continue to invest in projects aimed at the Western market. However, the failure of Unknown 9: Awakening once again revealed the risks of such projects. The studio had previously reduced 18% of its workforce in 2023.
This difficult period for Reflector Entertainment demonstrates the difficulties of creating new IPs in the gaming world. Although Unknown 9: Awakening set out to create a large story universe, it did not receive the expected attention from fans and critics.