Reflector Entertainment and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe are thrilled to announce the worldwide release of Unknown 9: Awakening.
It’s a momentous day for our Montreal studio as we proudly announce the worldwide launch of our very first video game, Unknown 9: Awakening!
After countless hours of ideating, collaborating, creating, testing, and adjusting, to say we’re excited for you to step into Haroona’s shoes and join her quest is an understatement.
Our heroine is ready to step into the unknown and fulfil her destiny. Are you? Watch the action-adventure game’s cinematic launch trailer and learn more about Reflector’s journey to launch.
The Road to Release
From the initial concept to the final polish, our journey has been filled with challenges and successes, fruitful collaborations, and valuable takeaways, all fueled by our passion for telling great stories and developing creative gameplay experiences.
The rise of Unknown 9: Awakening
What started as an idea to create something more than a game has since transformed into the development of a fully loaded narrative universe!
From the outset, we wanted to tell a story full of mystery and adventure about humanity’s evolution; a tale that would instill hope, possibility, and a sense of wonder into people’s lives.
To do so, our teams worked diligently to establish an iron-clad mythology that would guide our world-building efforts, fuel our game and its world’s rich lore, and ensure we remained true to our initial intentions from start to finish.
From a development perspective, it was important to devise mechanics that were both unique and, of course, fun to play around with. With Unknown 9: Awakening, it all started with Haroona’s “stepping” ability, which became the foundation for the combat system’s other elements, all of which were designed to give players agency in devising their own unique strategies to progress through the game.
The creation of the Unknown 9 narrative universe
As the game’s technical and narrative development picked up speed, so did the creation of the larger universe’s many other stories.
Our goal has always been to create worlds made up of overlapping adventures, each one connected in some way to the next and tailored to fit a specific medium. After all, we’re game developers and transmedia storytellers!
To create a seamless transmedia experience for Unknown 9, our narrative designers and game developers worked closely together to identify the key lore, gameplay, and story elements to carry over from one medium to the next.
The result has since taken the form of a narrative-driven action-adventure game that launches players into a universe riddled with crossovers, callbacks, and Easter eggs!
Key Collaborations
While collaboration across Reflector’s teams was vital to bringing our game and transmedia experience to life, we also had a chance to partner with incredible talent that only served to bolster the experiences we were crafting.
The talented Anya Chalotra portrays Unknown 9: Awakening heroine Haroona, in her first video game role. Having had a chance to work with such a strong and inspiring woman to bring our heroine to life was incredible, to say the least.
Another inspiring artist we worked with was American singer songwriter BANKS, who co-produced Unknown 9’s official theme song in collaboration with Reflector’s audio and narrative teams.
Available on all major streaming platforms, the track is also featured on Unknown 9: Awakening’s Official Soundtrack.
About the Game
Unknown 9: Awakening is our Montreal game studio’s first narrative-driven action-adventure game. Its story centres on Haroona, a powerful young Quaestor whose connection to a mysterious dimension called the Fold gifts her unique Umbric abilities.
After witnessing the fall of her beloved mentor at the hands of Vincent Lichter, she sets off to exact revenge on him and his army of Ascendants, a splinter faction of the Leap Year Society who want to use the Fold to usher in a new era for humanity.
As Haroona’s journey progresses, she learns to master her Fold-powered abilities, finds allies in the Leap Year Society, and fights to prevent the world’s long-lost knowledge—powerful secrets said to be guarded by the Unknown 9—from falling into the wrong hands.
The game is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
A Look Ahead as we Work to Develop Other IP
The launch of Awakening marks the end of a very important chapter in our video game development company’s continued evolution. And the best part is, this is just the beginning!
While the Unknown 9 universe continues to expand in the coming months through the extension of existing stories and the addition of new adventures, we’re also currently developing an all-new experience for a popular Bandai Namco brand!
To bring our next video game to life, we’re looking to fill positions within our animation, level design, game design, and art teams. If you’re interested in joining us and contributing to the development of a great IP, check out our open positions and learn why should join our video game development studio.
