Bandai Namco is liquidating Reflector Entertainment six years after acquiring the Canadian studio.
The Japanese publisher confirmed the news in a note to investors, where it explained the decision was made after "comprehensively considering future business plans, necessary additional investment, and the possibility of profitability and business continuation."
Those conversations resulted in Bandai choosing to discontinue, dissolve, and liquidate the studio.
Reflector launched third-person adventure title Unknown 9: Awakening under Bandai. The project was pitched as the first entry in a sprawling transmedia franchise that would span comic books, podcasts, novels, and more. That vision never came to fruition.
For Bandai, the acquisition of Reflector represented a chance to expand its footprint in the West.
Reflector had 120 employees when it was purchased by Bandai in 2020, but has been subjected to mass layoffs in recent years. It's unclear how many people were left at the studio.
Bandai will liquidate the studio in compliance with local laws and procedures. It expects to post an extraordinary loss of approximately €21 million in relation to the closure.
Chris is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience covering the video game industry. He was formerly news editor at Game Developer and is currently the founder and editor of this resplendent website.
