The dream of building a successful media universe has eluded many companies. While some achieve this vision, others, like Reflector Studio and Bandai Namco with their ambitious project, Unknown 9: Awakening, have unfortunately fallen short.
Acknowledgement of Failure
Reflector Studio has acknowledged the failure of their mystical action game, Unknown 9: Awakening. The title, starring Anya Chalotra (from Netflix's "The Witcher"), failed to gain traction, resulting in the studio making difficult decisions such as layoffs and the cancellation of new projects.
In a statement, the company attributed these measures directly to the underwhelming performance of Unknown 9: Awakening, which did not meet the company's expectations after numerous delays and significant financial investments.
A Troubled Launch
Unknown 9: Awakening was released on October 17, 2024, to a lukewarm reception at best. Critics described it as lackluster, while gamers were quick to point out the game's various issues. Prior to the launch, Reflector and Bandai Namco had attempted to expand the Unknown 9 brand into a larger media universe, which included comic books, podcasts, and novellas. However, these efforts also failed to resonate with the public. For example, the web series, Unknown 9: Passage, on YouTube, struggled to reach even 15,000 views.
This highlights the difficulty of creating a successful media universe and the risks associated with large-scale investments when a core product doesn't perform well.
