Highlights
- Will Smith’s involvement couldn’t save Undawn financially, despite its initial popularity among gamers both casual and competitive.
- Undawn, developed by Tencent, cost $140 million with over 300 developers but failed to generate significant revenue post-launch.
- Tencent’s struggles with monetization models for games like Undawn and a halted Nier title reflect financial challenges in the gaming industry.
The involvement of Oscar-winning actor Will Smith could not save Undawn from a disastrous first year. Following its release in 2023, the game has seen some mainstream popularity among casual and competitive players, but isn’t making the profits that it needs.
From Tencent, Undawn is a PC and mobile game that released in June 2023. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, players must navigate the dark and treacherous streets while adapting to their new settings. Along the way, they encounter hostiles in the forms of zombies and other undead creatures that they must shoot down using the weapons in their arsenal. Set four years after the game’s cataclysmic event, players also get a guide in the form of a familiar face.
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According to Reuters, Undawn is not doing well financially. A major draw, and potentially a major flaw, is Will Smith’s Trey Jones, a guide character rendered in Smith’s full image. Undawn was announced in 2021 by Tencent, and gained notoriety for the involvement of Smith sometime later. Developed in Hong Kong, the game ultimately cost around $140 million, with over 300 developers actively working on it. According to the report, the game “flopped spectacularly” and made less than $300,000 in revenue in the last month.
Details of Tencent’s Zombie Survival Game Undawn
- PC and mobile game
- Will Smith plays NPC Trey Jones
- Cost of production: $140 million
This is not the only title from Tencent that is struggling right now. Recently, a new Nier game was halted in December 2023 due to high costs. The licensing of properties and individuals is an expensive endeavor for video game companies. Finding an appropriate “monetization model” for these games once they are released seems to be the bane of many titles released from Tencent. This announcement came shortly after fans found out that NierReincarnation will be shutting down at the end of April.
Tencent’s development of games for third-party IPs such as Call of Duty and PUBG cost quite a lot of money. According to the report, video game companies can pay upwards of 20% in royalty fees for all sales. Will Smith’s likeness and voice are both featured in Undawn, although there is no public information regarding how much it cost to use those. The news of the game’s financial failure follows comments from Hasbro regarding the sale of Dungeons and Dragons to Tencent.
With a market of so many free-to-play games out there, it is difficult for many studios to turn a profit. It costs even more when one of the most famous people in the world is involved. While Tencent has plans to profit from its upcoming Genshin Impact-inspired Elden Ring game, players of Undawn can continue to enjoy the adventure with Will while it lasts.
