Reflector Entertainment, the developer behind Unknown 9: Awakening, is the latest studio to be hit by layoffs. The news comes after what its CEO calls the “failure” of the game.
In a lengthy statement posted on LinkedIn, CEO Herve Hoerdt said that he made a decision to “not greenlight further work on a future project that was in the conceptualization phase and thus terminating this development line”. This decision, he says, wouldn’t have been sustainable for the company and, with it, comes layoffs.
“This decision correlates directly with the failure of the studio’s ambitious and courageous first project, a new IP with a rich transmedia universe,” Hoerdt said. “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.”
Hoerdt added that the decision will also affect back-office staff as the studio moves its support teams to be inline with a “single project approach the studio will adopt for the imminent future.”
“Where possible, staff will be assigned to this project, based on an existing Bandai Namco IP, which is shaping up very well,” he said.
Hoerdt closed his statement by saying that those impacted will receive severance packages, health benefits, mental health support, and more.
Insider Gaming has reached out to Reflector Entertainment for clarification on the number of people let go in the layoffs. Should a response be received, it will be added to this story.
What do you think of the layoffs at Reflector Entertainment after what it called a “failure” with Unknown 9: Awakening? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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