Did you play Unknown 9: Awakening when it was released in October of last year? If not, I don’t blame you. It seems that few people have tried Reflector Entertainment action-adventure game, which was published byBandai Namco.
Originally planned as a franchise, that’s not happening anymore, as the studio confirmed that sales didn’t meet expectations.
Unknown 9’s Planned Franchise Stops At One Game
In anannouncementby Reflector Entertainment boss Herve Hoerdt (viaEurogamer), the studio boss confirmed the game didn’t come near the sales expectations, which meant that the game’s universe doesn’t warranty any further exploration.
Part of the announcement read, “This decision correlates directly with the failure of the studio’s ambitious and courageous first project, a new IP with a rich transmedia universe. 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.”
Sadly, this mean that redundancies (ie. layoffs) will be happening within the studio, though Hoerdt didn’t specify how many jobs would be affected. The decision not to move forward with the franchise affects the back-office staff too, as the studio boss mentioned that they are moving forward with a “single project approach” for the imminent future.
Finishing his statement, Hoerdt says Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe will continue investing in creating “Western content for global audiences, in line with the Group’s vision.”
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I can’t say I’m surprised at this. Not only was it not impressive visually, but Unknown 9 had an odd title and almost no hype going into release. Is it the fault of marketing? The devs? Bandai Namco for releasing during a crowded quarter? We can’t say for sure, but the game’s quality not being up to par definitely didn’t help.
Over onOpen Critic, the game has a “Weak” rating with just 17% of critics recommending it. Regardless of how you spin that, it’s not a good look for the starting game of what was planned to be a franchise.
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Unknown 9: Awakening
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