In a bid to broaden its western development boundaries, Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe has announced its acquisition of Reflector Entertainment. The procurement is subject to customary closing conditions - such as Canadian regulatory approvals - however BNEE plans to absorb the subsidiary Reflector Interactive Productions as well.
BNEE and Reflector’s common interest is to reach a greater audience through innovative projects on a variety of platforms outside – and including – the video games industry. Founded by Alexandre Amancio and Lune Rouge in 2016, Reflector’s goal is to work strategically with BNEE to project the studio’s “transmedia vision” into a unique experience for all audiences. Bandai’s experience combined with Reflector’s innovation is the fuel that drove this acquisition to fruition, which promises to deliver an exciting new premise.
The Canadian developer has turned over a new leaf of storytelling, known as “Storyworlds”, and we’ve already had a taste of its originality. Unknown 9: Awakening was debuted during Gamescom, that introduced the next-gen adventure which features a young girl with supernatural abilities. Due for release next year, Awakening is a piece of a much larger vision from Reflector Entertainment that was first mentioned back in 2018.
During New York Comic Con, Reflector hosted an event that featured the studio’s plans to branch into various forms of media to showcase its Storyworlds, including podcasts, comic books, TV shows, and movies. The throughline that ties this ambitious project together is the notion of interdimensional sci-fi and the paranormal being studied by The Leap Year Society; a secret society that remains ambiguous for now.
This expansive narrative - known as Unknown 9 - appears overwhelming from the outside, but it’s an idea that must have piqued Bandai’s curiosity, as it presented an opportunity for the company to grow its western presence. Referring to the nine immortals guarding human knowledge, Awakening is presumably the first of the Unknown 9, in an intriguing project that will hopefully reach its full potential with Bandai’s backing.
The acquisition is expected to reach its conclusion within the fourth quarter of 2020, where Alexandre Amancio will act as chief creative officer of Reflector Entertainment, working alongside Hervé Hoerdt, vice president of content, marketing and digital at BNEE.
