Unknown 9: Awakening Franchise Canceled Due to Underperformance – Game Development Troubles Revealed

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Summary

  • Unknown 9: Awakening franchise was canceled due to underperformance, confirms Reflector Entertainment.
  • Unknown 9 was conceptualized as a transmedia project spanning multiple formats.
  • Developer Reflector also confirms staff redundancies.

The creators of “Unknown 9: Awakening”, Reflector Entertainment, have officially announced that they are discontinuing the franchise due to poor performance following the initial release in October 2024. In this game, players follow Haroona, portrayed by Anya Chalotra known for her role in Netflix’s “The Witcher”, as she delves into a mystifying realm called The Fold. Her mission involves uncovering hidden wisdom and mastering the powers of The Fold to combat a clandestine society.

In 2020, the game titled “Unknown 9: Awakening” was unveiled for PC and future-generation consoles, introducing a fresh intellectual property that’s part of a transmedia venture. The term “transmedia” refers to a storytelling approach that uses various platforms like video games, movies, and literature. “Unknown 9” is designed as an expansive series encompassing podcasts, comics, web series, among other mediums, with many of these already available.

As a dedicated fan, I wanted to share some disappointing news about Unknown 9 that I recently learned from Herve Hoerdt, CEO of Reflector. In a post on LinkedIn, he shared that the studio has decided not to greenlight any more projects related to the development of Unknown 9 due to the underperformance of their initial project, an innovative new IP with a vast transmedia universe. The game didn’t quite meet the company’s expectations, and as a result, they feel it doesn’t warrant further exploration.

Before its release, there was much excitement surrounding Unknown 9: Awakening, which was thought to be a blend of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Don’t Nod’s 2024 action RPG, as well as Square Enix’s 2023 title in the same genre. However, it seems that the reality didn’t live up to our expectations.

Developer Reflector Entertainment Confirms Unknown 9 Cancelation

Following the reveal of the franchise, Bandai Namco Entertainment took over the studio responsible for Unknown 9. Despite this exciting development, some team members were let go as part of the deal. This included administrative staff, who received severance pay, additional health benefits, counseling services, and career guidance assistance. The CEO mentioned that these individuals would be placed on one of Bandai Namco’s intellectual properties projects if possible, noting that the work was progressing well. Regrettably, this is Reflector’s second round of layoffs, having occurred after a series of redundancies in November 2024.

Despite boasting impressive jumping abilities in previews for Unknown 9: Awakening, the game received a mediocre Metascore of 59 on Metacritic, along with a low user score of 1.7. Many reviews criticized it for uninteresting gameplay, weak storytelling, and ongoing issues related to its collaboration with Sweet Baby Inc. Given these negative reviews and the lack of public awareness about the release of Unknown 9: Awakening, it was unfortunately not a shock when the game was canceled. Some social media users even admitted they had never heard of the game before.

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2025-01-22 18:13