>>1029505
A couple of days ago, Reflector Entertainment (the developers behind Unknown 9: Awakening) officially announced layoffs. Approximately 18% of their workforce is now gone. They did not specifically say that the game's failure was the reason why, but they did mention the game by name. They claim that their decision isn't "driven by commercial success" but they don't say it isn't because of failure, either.
What kinds of layoffs happen right after a successful release of a product, anyways?
A Message to the Reflector Community https://archive.md/zRxHj
>A few moments ago, we informed our team that we are refocusing our efforts as we enter a new phase of development. The changes resulting from this transition are necessary for us to efficiently deliver on our most pressing objectives while guaranteeing that every member of our team can meaningfully contribute to our ongoing projects.
>In the spirit of full transparency, we want to share what this means for our colleagues, our games, the worlds our products unfold in, as well as what everyone can expect moving forward.
>For most of our studio’s history, we have been fortunate enough not to have to make changes like this. Today’s announcement isn’t driven by commercial success or external pressures, but stems instead from our current reality, which is that at this time, we cannot guarantee tangible work for all of the talented individuals we employ.
>With the recent release of Unknown 9: Awakening and our two key production lines entering the early stages of development, we must make sure that our staff is laser-focused on contributing to the projects that wholly benefit from their skillsets.
>As such, we are reducing our team by approximately 18% of Reflector’s total workforce, a decision that impacts people who aren’t assigned to roles that our active projects require.
>This change affects our colleagues, our friends, and their families, and we are doing all that we can to help them through this difficult time, providing them with severance packages as well as access to medical, emotional, and career planning support.
>We know that the community we’ve built over the years cares deeply about the people who bring our games to life. Our goal is to assist the affected individuals with the respect and support they deserve.
>As you can imagine, this is a trying time for us all, but we are committed to learning from this experience.
As of this posting, there are currently 11 people playing the Steam version of the game, with a peak of 31 in the past 24 hours. It reached its peak player count of 285 around the day of release and has only decreased in players since. These layoffs have come as a surprise to no one at all. Will we see the closure of this studio soon?