Unknown 9 Deemed A "Failure" As Developer Cancels Future Project And Confirms Layoffs

Unknown 9: Awakening developer Reflector Entertainment has deemed its first game as a failure and has canceled a future project, resulting in layoffs.

"This decision correlates directly with the failure of the studio's ambitious and courageous first project, a new IP with a rich transmedia universe," said Reflector Entertainment CEO and Bandai Namco Europe CCO Herve Hoerdt in a statement on LinkedIn. "The performance of the release didn't come near the company expectations, after numerous timeline adjustments and investments, both financially and other, and didn't warrant any further exploration in this universe."

Reflector Entertainment will now adopt a single-project approach for the foreseeable future, and some staff will be reassigned to another existing Bandai Namco IP. Hoerdt said that the studio's previously planned future project was canceled because it wouldn't be sustainable, and that decision will lead to layoffs. Those who are impacted by layoffs will receive severance packages and extended health benefits.

Unknown 9: Awakening was released on October 17, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S to mixed reviews on GameSpot's sister site, Metacritic, sitting at an average score of 59. It's an action-adventure game following a young woman from India named Haroona. The game was supposed to be part of a larger content universe, called the Unknown 9 Storyworld, but now progress on the universe has halted.

While Reflector Entertainment isn't completely shutting down, other studios haven't been as lucky. Three studios have already closed in January 2025, including Godfall developer Counterplay Games.