Companies often want to turn a new game into a whole franchise on Steam and PS5. Unknown 9: Awakening was supposed to be that for Bandai Namco. They wanted to release not only games but also comics and books for the universe. However, despite the efforts, nothing came of it, as the game is a flop.
What is Unknown 9: Awakening? On October 17, 2024, Bandai Namco released the AAA game Unknown 9: Awakening. The action-adventure was quite ambitious but failed right at release. On Steam, they could reach a maximum of 285 simultaneous players, and currently, the game has only 49% positive reviews on Steam.
The game was supposed to be more than just a regular AAA title. They had grand multimedia plans. There are episodes of a web series, comics, podcasts, books, and of course, the game. However, it seems that everything has failed, as future projects have now been canceled.
You can find a trailer for the game here:
No further projects for the universe of Unknown 9: Awakening
What has the CEO announced? On LinkedIn, the CEO, Herve Hoerdt, of the responsible studio Reflector Games announced that there are no new projects planned for the universe of Unknown 9. The project would not be sustainable
for the future of the studio.
The CEO justifies the decision with the failure
of the first and ambitious project that aimed to build a transmedia universe. The game did not perform as expected.
This also leads to further layoffs. Already in November 2024, they announced that they would lay off 18% of the workforce. As PCGamer reports, it was stated then that it was not due to performance but to a lack of work for the employees.
It now seems that there will be layoffs again. This time, however, no specific number is mentioned. The statement says that, as far as possible, employees will be assigned to a new project based on an existing Bandai Namco brand.
For employees who have to leave the studio, they want to continue providing access to health services and support them in their next job search.
Despite successes with Tekken 8, Elden Ring or Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Bandai Namco is not always doing well. In addition to canceled games for One Piece and Naruto, they also pulled the plug on an anime MMORPG in January 2025: New MMORPG from the company behind Elden Ring and Tekken was supposed to excite fans of anime and PvE – Now it’s offline forever
