Unknown 9: Awakening studio Reflector Entertainment lays off 18% of its workforce

by Danny Craig · 11/20/24, 3:34 PM
Unknown 9: Awakening studio Reflector Entertainment lays off 18% of its workforce
Bandai Namco

Reflector Entertainment, the developer behind last month’s action-adventure title Unknown 9: Awakening, has announced it is laying off 18% of its workforce

The details:

  • As spotted by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach (via Game Developer), several former Reflector staff members have shared news of the layoffs on social media. The studio has since confirmed the layoffs in a statement on its website, revealing that 18% of its employees have been let go.

  • According to the developer, the layoffs did not affect employees who are "assigned to roles that our active projects require." It also stated that the cuts were not made due to "commercial success or external pressures," but rather because it "cannot guarantee tangible work" for employees following the release of Unknown 9.

  • It's unclear whether certain areas of the company were hit harder than others, but those affected include former brand manager Manou Deneuvel and narrative and game designer Anna Karina Bermudez, along with further cuts within its QA and art departments.

  • Despite Reflector's claim that the layoffs have nothing to do with commercial success, Unknown 9 appears to have fallen short of expectations. Despite its launch last month, the game currently has a mixed rating on Steam, with less than 100 reviews, and SteamDB data claims that it has reached a peak of only 285 concurrent players.

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