If you enjoyed Reflector Entertainment’s action-adventure game Unknown 9: Awakening last year and have been waiting to see how the development team further expands on the multimedia approach that they promised, bringing additional stories to life in comics and books, podcasts, and more, if that still sounds like you we unfortunately have some bad news to share.
In a statement on LinkedIn, it has now been affirmed that Reflector Entertainment has cancelled the Unknown 9 franchise and instead been assigned by owner Bandai Namco to take on a project that is “based on an existing Bandai Namco IP, which is shaping up very well.”
As for why the Unknown 9 series has been canned, Reflector’s CEO Herve Hoerdt explained further by adding: “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.”
This decision will also have its impact on the studio, as we’re told that it expects to have to make layoffs to the support teams that they cannot bring onto this next project. Reflector does intend to provide “adequate severance packages, extended health benefits for affected staff and their families, continued access to emotional mental health and counselling services and finally, proactive career planning support to set them up for future success.”
Are you disappointed to hear that the Unknown 9 franchise is dead?