Reflector Entertainment’s game did not live up to the studio’s hopes, so maybe they had to downsize as well…

Unknown 9: Awakening was in the news a lot before its release, but we heard nothing about it after the game was released. The game didn’t do as well as the team expected, and the silence didn’t bode well. Unknown 9: Awakening was the first game in a series of action-adventure games set in an expansive transmedia universe. It would include a podcast audio drama, novels, and even comic books. We better not expect those now.

A post appeared on Reflector Entertainment’s website and was removed, but too late, as we can now report that 18% of the staff has been laid off. The reason for this is that the studio has entered a new phase of development and those who have been laid off have not been reassigned to roles that their active projects require. To support those affected by the layoffs, the company said they will be provided with severance pay and access to medical, emotional and career planning support.

We don’t yet know which departments at the studio have been affected, but from what we know so far, it’s quality control, marketing, art, and narrative. Among those let go are narrative and game designer Anna Karina Bermudez and brand manager Manou Deneuvel. Both have posted on LinkedIn that they are looking for new jobs. Head of content Herve Hoerdt also confirmed that they had cancelled a new project that was in the concept phase, and that they had dropped the project because it would not have been sustainable for the future of the studio. He added that the cancellation of the game was due to the failure of the company’s ambitious and bold first project.

January isn’t even over yet, but we’ve already reported on a number of layoffs. If you were hoping that fewer people would lose their jobs this year than last, you might be wondering if the gaming industry, which has laid off about 295 people so far this year, according to the Game Industry Layoffs website, which tracks all known layoffs, is really heading in the right direction.

Source: WCCFTech, Gaming Layoffs, LinkedIn