A recent story claims that Tencent’s zombie survival game, which stars Will Smith but you probably didn’t know existed, has been a complete flop via Metro.
It has been noted that some game publishers may think that a celebrity endorsement is a definite way to succeed, Undawn can attest that this hasn’t been the case.
The free-to-play open-world survival game, created by Lightspeed Studios, was released in June of last year for PC and mobile devices. The game featured Hollywood actor Will Smith as “legendary survivor” Trey Jones, who serves as a guide to help players navigate the globe four years after a global calamity, albeit it appears to have gone completely unnoticed.
It was endorsed by one of the most famous celebrities on the planet, Undawn but it was has apparently been a major flop for publisher Tencent.
According to a report, which cites research firm Appmagic, the game only brought in $287,000 (£227,000) in revenue, from a reported budget close to 1 billion yuan (around £111 million).
Two sources claim over 300 developers were working on the title, as cited by Reuters.
Its release went completely unnoticed by most, with only three reviews on Metacritic (with scores of 50, 60, and 70) and a User Rating of 1.3 out of 10, based on eight reviews.
Undawn’s failure is referenced as one of the reasons why Tencent is shifting away from big budget IP-based games, following a string of setbacks – including Apex Legends mobile, which was shut down in May last year, and an axed NieR mobile spin-off.
