Bandai Namco Cancels New Franchise After Debut Game Flops

Bandai Namco and developer Reflector Entertainment announced it has decided to not greenlight work on a “future project.” In the released statement, the studio’s CEO and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe CCO Herve Hoerdt confirmed this is due to the “failure” of Unknown 9 Awakening. This also results in layoffs for the studio.

Bandai Namco and Unknown 9 Awakening dev Reflector announced cancelation

Unknown 9 Awakening released on PS5 back in October 2024. It received mixed reviews at launch, garnering a 59 on review aggregate site Metacritic.

In a statement, Hoerdt says the project was currently in the conceptualization phase. They also state that continuing the project will not be “sustainable for the future of the studio.”

“This decision correlates directly with the failure of the studio’s ambitious and courageous first project, a new IP with a rich transmedia universe,” says Hoerdt. “The performance of the release didn’t come near the company expectations, after numerous timeline adjustments and investment, both financially and other, and didn’t warrant any further exploration in this universe.”

“Unfortunately, this also affects back-office staff, bringing the support teams in line with the single project approach the studio will adopt for the imminent future,” Hoerdt continues.

Some of the people working on the canceled project will be moved to another project based on an existing Bandai Namco IP. While that project was not specifically named, Hoerdt did comment that it is “shaping up very well.”

Those affected by redundancies will be provided with an “adequate” severance package, extended health benefits for both staff and their family, continued access to counseling services, and career planning support.

Although Unknown 9 Awakening didn’t meet Bandai Namco’s expectations, the statement concludes by saying they will continue creating Western content.

Bandai Namco reportedly canceled “several” games back in October 2024, two of which were based on the Naruto and One Piece franchises. It was also reported staff was reduced in the process.

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