Have you heard of Undawn? Me neither. Even though the game featuring Will Smith has been out for almost a year, it seems like no one noticed it.
When big Hollywood stars are integrated into video games, the marketing takes care of itself. You might think that when you look at games like Cyberpunk 2077 with Keanu Reeves or Death Stranding with Norman Reedus. But it's not quite that simple it seems, because you've probably never heard of the game Undawn, even though Will Smith is in it.
Un-Who? Will Smith Is Featured In A Game Nobody Knows Of
Undawn, the game in question has been on the market since June 2023. It is free to play and available on both PC and mobile devices, with reviews being mixed. That would be half as bad if it weren't for those massive development costs. And Will Smith certainly wasn't cheap either.
Reuters reports that Tencent, the ones responsible for the game, shelled out nearly $140 million, and 300 developers were involved. However, the survival game only brought in just under $287,000. That's a situation even Hollywood star Will Smith can't save, who plays the role of Trey Jones in the game, some sort of guide that helps players to get along.
The actor released his own trailer on his YouTube channel, and in the comments, users are even wondering how this game could remain completely undiscovered.
It may partly be due to poor marketing, but the quality of the game likely contributed, too. Poor performance and mediocre gameplay made it fail to gain traction in both the mobile and PC markets. Even the concept of the game wasn't particularly innovative, with many describing it as a LifeAfter clone.
So Undawn joins the ranks as another failure in Tencent's series of disappointments. The company had already put a mobile adaptation of Square Enix's Nier franchise on ice, Assassin's Creed Jade has been delayed and there haven't been any updates for their planned Elden Ring game for a long time.