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- Will Smith starred in Tencent’s Undawn, a free-to-play PVE zombie game.
- This game went under everyone’s radar, becoming known for its failure recently.
- Tencent spent $140 million on the project, but it completely failed.
Reports of a major zombie game from Will Smith recently took the industry by surprise. This Hollywood icon supposedly starred as one of the lead characters in an online zombie game that had a budget as big as $140 million.
However, Undawn, created in collaboration with Tencent, has become one of 2024’s most notable failures. In what can only be described as a tragedy, Will Smith’s ambitious project is being abandoned.
Why it matters: Mobile gaming is the most profitable segment of the industry, encouraging even Hollywood stars to try their hand at the market.
What’s odd is the fact that the game had a whopping 300 developers. Typically, these types of teams are limited to AAA projects, but Undawn was a mobile game from Tencent.
For reference, CDPR is leading The Witcher 4 with around 400 developers. Will Smith’s presence in the game is also questionable. Despite his popularity, the actor is not featured on the YouTube channel prominently besides one specific trailer.
The game is based on the tried-and-true zombie-survival theme. However, it was released on both PC and mobile platforms, going the free-to-play route amid the focus on online PVE gameplay.
Most of the trailers have now been filled with comments of people expressing how they just learned about Undawn after its recent failure. According to reports, the game was still making around $287K in revenue until last month.
However, this was not nearly enough to keep Tencent interested in the $140 million investment. Ultimately, the gaming giant is now stepping away from the project, choosing to focus on other IPs.
As for Will Smith, the Hollywood star is still struggling to reclaim his lost fame after the infamous Oscars incident.
Will Smith is currently working on Bad Boys 4, a movie that could make him popular among the masses again.
In the past, the actor has shown interest in the gaming industry on various occasions. He was a major part of YouTube Rewind 2018, a recap video themed around Fortnite during the battle royale’s peak popularity.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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