Reflector Entertainment announced that it’s opened a new production line at the Montreal developer to develop a new project. That project, per the press release, will be based on an existing franchise owned by parent company Bandai Namco Europe, and help secure “the strategic importance of the studio for the long term.”
Said Reflector CEO Hervé Hoerdt, “This is an organic and pre-planned evolution in the development of Reflector Entertainment, which has established itself as a major asset within the group.”
Bandai Namco Europe acquired Reflector (and its subsidiary, Reflector Interactive Productions) in 2020 in an effort to expand its Western portfolio.
“The creative vision and development capacity of Reflector Entertainment will boost BNEE’s ability to craft breathtaking experiences over the years,” said Bandai Namco Europe’s Arnaud Miller at the time.
As Reflector was being acquired, it was attempting to create ‘Storyworlds,’ or cross-media franchises. Its first (and currently, only) Storyworld is Unknown 9, a multimedia paranormal thriller series that consists of a trilogy of books and a podcast.
Set in the same universe, Reflector Interactive’s video game, Unknown 9: Awakening, will release in 2023.
The question isn’t which Bandai Namco franchise, it’s how this will take shape
That Reflector is being tasked with a pre-existing IP from Bandai Namco is interesting, especially in light of news from earlier in the year about the Tekken publisher’s many franchises.
This past February, Bandai Namco announced its plans to create an “IP metaverse,” one where it plans to “establish communities among Bandai Namco and fans, as well as among fans themselves,” according to its press release at the time. “We will work to maximize IP value over the medium to long term.”
Being tasked with an IP specifically from its parent company doesn’t automatically mean that Reflector will turn that property into a multimedia franchise, or is caught up in Bandai Namco’s metaverse plans. But the studio’s open ambitions do present some interesting possibilities.