For the third year in a row, Reflector Entertainment has partnered with ISART Digital—a private institute that trains students for careers in video games, teaching them 3D-FX animation, music, and sound design—as part of its annual mentorship program.
This type of program provides students with unique opportunities to expand their knowledge and skillets as they prepare to carve out future careers in the video game industry. It also connects them with professionals in the field before they graduate.
Looking back on two years of collaboration
In 2019, Montreal’s ISART Digital and our studio teamed up for the first time to create an end-of-year graduation project called Blossom, which was imagined and developed by six students (one of which joined the Reflector team following graduation!). For our 2020 mentorship initiative with ISART Digital, we chose to focus on a more inclusive gaming experience, which saw a team of eight students embark on the development of Palaka, a video game adapted for a neurodivergent audience, specifically those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
This year, Reflector’s mentors are once again supporting a team of ISART students in the development of Fallen Worlds. The team, composed of eight talented students, was given a theme: the environment, resource management, and the climate crisis we are currently facing.
This year’s mentorship program focus: the environment
We believe that video games can help raise awareness about social and environmental issues. They are powerful educational tools that go beyond entertainment, which is why Reflector considers it important to educate the industry’s next generation on societal issues in the hopes of creating leaders of change.
The goal of this project, in addition to supporting the next generation of game creators, is to reflect on our actions, to educate, and to encourage progressive thinking as we try to minimise the impact of climate change. As such, we drew on local experts to help support the students in their research and development.
What’s more, a Montreal-based video production team was their to document the adventure in the most eco-friendly way possible, showcasing the entire game creation process.
Join us this Summer to discover more about the complete project!
As part of its strategy to build Western development capabilities, Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe S.A.S. (BNEE) today announces that subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable Canadian regulatory approvals, they will acquire Reflector Entertainment Ltd. and its subsidiary Reflector Interactive Productions Ltd. from Lune Rouge Innovation Inc. This acquisition furthers BNEE’s content strategy aimed at developing 50% of its content outside of Japan.
“Designing and developing the content we shall publish and distribute is the cornerstone of our strategy,” commented Arnaud Muller, COO of BNEE. “The creative vision and development capacity of Reflector Entertainment will boost BNEE’s ability to craft breathtaking experiences over the years. We look forward to working with such a skilled team, and to welcome them to the BNE family.”
This first strategic move in the incredible Montreal developer community highlights the implementation of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Mid-term Plan, which aims at strengthening regional headquarters’ autonomy for a greater expansion in global markets.
Founded in 2016 by Alexandre Amancio and Lune Rouge, Reflector is focused on building Storyworlds that people can interact with across a variety of media, including video games, novels, podcasts, movies, and much more.
Its Unknown 9 franchise is being nurtured by the company’s 120 talented employees, which include industry veterans behind some of the best AAA video games coming from Canadian studios. So far, the first book in a novel trilogy written by bestselling author Layton Green, podcast episodes, an issue of the comic book series, and most recently, the teaser for the highly-anticipated Unknown 9: Awakening video game have been revealed to the public.
“The reach to worldwide audiences and the endless entertainment possibilities offered by the synergies with BNEE and the rest of the Group will provide a great long-term perspective for the team, here in Montreal,” commented Alexandre Amancio.
“We believe this acquisition will enable Reflector Entertainment to deepen its transmedia vision to build amazing journeys, while expanding on the work already done on the Unknown 9 franchise and other projects,” said Robert Blain, President of Lune Rouge. “BNEE has an amazing team in place and their skills and knowledge of the industry will guarantee Reflector Entertainment a brilliant future.”
Reflector Entertainment has unveiled the teaser trailer for the studio’s first video game, Unknown 9: Awakening. The game represents the tentpole of a much larger content ecosystem that is being built around the ambitious Unknown 9 Storyworld. The studio is inviting everyone to delve into the world of Unknown 9, with a first look at the new teaser trailer for the video game.
Driven by a seasoned and diverse development team, the Reflector studio has created a brand-new Storyworld that they’re officially revealing today. The team unveils Unknown 9: Awakening, a 3rd person narrative-driven action-adventure game, with a first look at its protagonist, Haroona, and a glimpse into her Fold abilities.
Raised on the streets of Kolkata, India, and haunted by visions of her own death, Haroona struggles to understand her mysterious innate abilities to manipulate the unseen. A mentor soon helps Haroona hone her gifts, teaches her to access a mysterious hidden dimension known as The Fold, and propels her on a journey to unlock the mysteries of this new realm.
“Unknown 9: Awakening is Reflector’s first game. It’s a passion project being undertaken by a small team of industry veterans that want to do things differently,” says Alexandre Amancio, CEO at Reflector Entertainment. “Our game features a complex heroine that must come to terms with who she is. The game is set in the Unknown 9 universe, a modern Storyworld that centres on humanity being on the edge of either transcendence or self-destruction.”
The broader Unknown 9 universe features interconnected media and content offerings with intersecting characters and storylines that form a rich and immersive Storyworld, including a mystery-thriller novel by bestselling author Layton Green entitled Unknown 9: Genesis, an original podcast called Unknown 9: Out of Sight, and a comic book, Unknown 9: Torment. These offerings are all standalone products, but when experienced as a whole, they form a broader narrative and lead to a greater appreciation of the mysterious Unknown 9 universe.
In anticipation of the game’s release, fans can delve into the Unknown 9 Storyworld by visiting unknown9.com, where they can participate in Unknown 9: Chapters, an interactive, community-driven experience, created by Montreal studio Alice & Smith, that lets fans decipher mysteries of the Unknown 9 universe. They will also gain access to parts of the novel, podcast, & comic book for free for a limited time.
