Reflector Entertainment, the studio behind Unknown 9: Awakening, are facing layoffs following the game’s underwhelming reception. Despite high internal expectations and Bandai Namco’s push to expand the Unknown 9 universe into a multimedia franchise, the action-adventure title launched with notable issues, including technical glitches, subpar graphics, and criticism over its narrative.
The game struggled to gain traction, peaking at just 285 concurrent players on Steam and receiving only 74 total reviews since its October 18 release. Its Metacritic user score reflects the disappointment, standing at a dismal 1.5. Reports suggest physical sales were nearly non-existent, compounding its commercial failure.
These challenges have had significant consequences for Reflector Entertainment, which was acquired by Bandai Namco in 2020. The poor performance of Unknown 9: Awakening has led to layoffs across the studio, heavily impacting QA testers, 3D artists, level designers, and VFX teams, casting doubt on the future of the studio and its projects.
The last time I discussed Reflector Entertainment’s Unknown 9: Awakening, a poorly executed DEI-laden narrative adventure penned by Sweet Baby Inc.’s CEO Kim Belair, I compared it to Square Enix’s Forspoken. Both titles are mundane, poorly designed third-person adventures with a diverse female lead and equally uninspired writing.
Unfortunately for Reflector Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco, my earlier observations now seem prophetic. Bandai Namco initially saw potential in the Canadian studio, even planning to launch a cinematic universe around Unknown 9, but those ambitions have been abruptly curtailed as layoffs hit the studio a mere month after the game’s disastrous release.
This situation eerily mirrors the fate of other Sweet Baby Inc. collaborations, such as Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, spearheaded by Abubakar Salim. Like Unknown 9, his metroidvania title suffered from abysmal marketing under EA, leading to equally dismal reception and sales. Salim, who previously worked alongside Sweet Baby Inc.’s founders, infamously accused gamers of racism for the game’s poor reception. However, the damage was irreparable; the studio faced layoffs shortly after release and officially shut down just a month ago.
The recurring pattern here is clear: while these projects are marketed as innovative and inclusive, they consistently fail to deliver compelling gameplay and sustainable financial success, leaving studios to grapple with layoffs and closure. It raises questions about the disconnect between the creative direction and audience engagement in these ventures.
Bandai Namco initially placed high hopes on their acquisition of Reflector Entertainment, an untested Canadian studio tasked with launching Unknown 9: Awakening as the centerpiece of a new multimedia mega-franchise. This ambitious project aimed to branch out from games into literature, podcasts, and other formats, aligning with Bandai Namco’s broader goals of increasing their global footprint and embracing Western ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles centered on diversity and inclusivity.
Unfortunately, the outcome has been catastrophic, burning through over $100 million by my own estimates to acquire the studio and fund the games development, with its disastrous release marking a severe setback for the company.
Unknown 9: Awakening was riddled with issues. The game, despite its diverse ambitions, was remarkably short, poorly produced with horrible graphics and even uglier character design, never mind the fact that Kim Belair‘s magnum opus was burdened by weak writing. Its story centered around ethnically diverse characters, with a White man serving as the primary antagonist, a design choice that many saw as overt pandering rather than meaningful.
The game’s notoriety stemmed in part from its ties to Sweet Baby Inc., a consultancy notorious for pushing identity politics into their projects. Sweet Baby Inc.’s co-founders, David Bédard and Kim Belair, played significant roles in the game, with Belair credited as the “story architect,” effectively the lead writer.
Reflector Entertainment’s mismanagement and political allegiance to misguided creative trends have led to significant layoffs, with many employees facing the fallout. While some of these issues may have been beyond the control of individual team members, the layoffs highlight the broader consequences of studios prioritizing virtue-signaling rather than entertaining audiences.
Bandai Namco’s broader strategy of Westernizing its brand by producing 50% of its content outside Japan has also come under scrutiny. The failure of Unknown 9: Awakening raises questions about the company’s commitment to social trends over solid game design and underscores the financial and human costs of chasing hollow initiatives over delivering compelling content.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the volatile nature of modern game development and the risks of prioritizing superficial virtue over substance.
The layoffs at Reflector Entertainment following the disastrous release of Unknown 9: Awakening come as little surprise in an industry that frequently treats its workforce as disposable, particularly after a game launches. While layoffs are unfortunately a common occurrence in gaming, the context of Reflector’s situation is particularly grim.
Bandai Namco, which still appears committed to Reflector’s survival, is paradoxically hiring for a “Director of Culture” role. The irony is thick: Unknown 9: Awakening failed in part because of its overemphasis on diversity and cultural narratives at the expense of creating an engaging, fun experience. Doubling down on this focus suggests that the company hasn’t learned from its mistakes and will refuse to do so until it’s inevitably euthanized.
Reflector’s future is undeniably precarious. Bandai Namco, eager to produce “global success stories,” may be reluctant to pull the plug for now, but the studio’s trajectory mirrors other ill-fated ventures like Firewalk Studios. Sony acquired Firewalk with grand ambitions for its game, Concord, only to dissolve the game mere weeks after the game’s release due to dismal player engagement, peaking at just 600 concurrent users on PC and dusting their hands of Firewalk one month later.
The parallels are stark: lavish spending on unproven studios, hollow promises of franchise potential, and a failure to resonate with players.
The industry-wide push for ESG values and the over-reliance on virtue signaling, as exemplified by projects like Unknown 9, highlight a trend. When studios prioritize “diversity” checkboxes and vague cultural narratives over strong gameplay and storytelling, the result is often a critical and commercial flop. Reflector’s current predicament underscores the risks of prioritizing ideology over innovation.
Without a drastic overhaul in leadership and direction, Reflector Entertainment seems poised to follow the ill-fated trajectory of Firewalk Studios. Bandai Namco, like many major publishers, faces a critical decision: continue burning money on projects driven by misguided priorities or pivot toward a more grounded, player-focused approach. Yet, the broader landscape of modern game development makes such a shift unlikely.
The industry has become increasingly defined by nepotism, corporate delusions, and a relentless adherence to social ethics that prioritize optics over creativity and quality. Companies like Capcom and Square Enix have doubled down on producing sanitized, censored content aimed at broad, racially inclusive demographics, even at the expense of alienating core audiences.
Despite mounting financial losses and fan backlash, these studios remain committed to these trends, illustrating an industry-wide detachment from the tastes and demands of their consumers, so why would Bandai be any different?
Reflector Entertainment’s struggles are emblematic of a broader failure within the gaming industry: prioritizing superficial ideals over substance. Unless significant changes are made, more studios could find themselves collapsing under the weight of their own failures and I for one have no sympathy to share for such corporations.
