The free-to-play sector on PC and mobile is highly competitive, and one might think that big companies, along with some attractive content combinations, can ensure success, but that’s not the case. Such is the scenario with a zombie video game that had the promotion and image of actor Will Smith, which has turned out to be a massive failure.
Undawn, a game featuring Will Smith’s image and promotion, has been a failure
We all remember Will Smith as the lead in I Am Legend, and of course, the concept of a world after a zombie apocalypse seems like a winning combo, at least on the surface. Well, this was what shaped Undawn, a survival free-to-play game published by Tencent and developed by Lightspeed and Level Infinite, which debuted in June 2023.
According to a report by Reuters, Tencent has planned significant changes to its gaming business, involving delays and cancellations. In the context of this decision, the name Undawn stands out as it could be in danger given the poor revenues it has generated.
According to the information, not even Will Smith’s image and the concept of a zombie disaster were enough for Undawn to make an impact in the PC and mobile market, as its most recent revenue record is $287,000 USD in one month, a far cry from Tencent’s projections, who invested over $140 million in the project, and now everything points to it being a massive failure.
On Steam, Undawn has mixed reviews, and apparently, it lives in limbo, neither praised nor hated, just existing on Valve’s platform. Its official description states: “Undawn is an open-world survival adventure where you can join other survivors to explore a post-apocalyptic world with deadly environments and terrifying creatures. Build your home, craft and upgrade your gear, and develop the skills to survive in this harsh reality.”
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