{
  "id": 19389006,
  "title": "2 years after Unknown 9: Awakening bombed, Bandai Namco is closing the studio that made it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/2-years-after-unknown-9-awakening-bombed-bandai-namco-is-closing-the",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-10T19:55:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PC Gamer",
    "slug": "pc-gamer",
    "url": "https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/2-years-after-unknown-9-awakening-bombed-bandai-namco-is-closing-the-studio-that-made-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two years ago, the release of Unknown 9: Awakening marked the end for Bandai Namco's Reflector Entertainment studio. The decision to shut down the studio was announced by Bandai Namco, citing the need to dissolve and liquidate the subsidiary due to future business plans, additional investment requirements, and profitability factors. Unknown 9: Awakening, starring Anya Chalotra as a woman who can travel through a mysterious dimension called the Fold, showed promise in its pre-release preview, drawing inspiration from Xbox 360 games of the late 2000s. However, the full game received a poor reception, with a month of poor sales leading to the layoff of 18% of Reflector's workforce. A few months later, another round of layoffs occurred after another project was cancelled. Reflector's CEO, Herve Hoerdt, acknowledged that the failure of the studio's first project directly contributed to the decision to lay off staff. Reflector confirmed the end of operations in a LinkedIn post, stating that after evaluating the progress of their latest pre-production project and considering current market conditions, Bandai Namco could not justify further investment in the studio. The liquidation process is expected to be completed once all local legal procedures are fulfilled, but a specific timeline has not been set.",
  "summary": "Reflector Entertainment had a new game in pre-production, but Bandai decided it wasn't worth the time or money to pursue.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "GamesIndustry",
        "title": "Bandai Namco closes Reflector Entertainment, expects to post €21m loss in Q3 as a result",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/bandai-namco-closes-reflector-entertainment-expects-to-post-21m-loss",
        "published": "2026-11-10T11:46:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rock Paper Shotgun",
        "title": "Bandai Namco is liquidating Unknown 9: Awakening studio Reflector Entertainment, following multiple previous layoffs since the game's launch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/bandai-namco-is-liquidating-unknown-9-awakening-studio-reflector",
        "published": "2026-11-10T16:58:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}