GameStop Insider Reveals SHOCKING SECRET Sales Numbers for "Unknown 9: Awakening"

This Game Is Beyond DEAD... But Somehow Worse Than You Could Have Imagined...

Recently, I received an email from an anonymous source claiming to work at the corporate level for GameStop. While I haven't been able to personally verify this information, I felt compelled to share it because of just how eye-opening it is.... If true... Because at this point it's nothing short of catastrophic.

The email paints a bleak picture of the game's initial sales numbers:

From: Anonymous

"I work for GameStop at the corporate level.

I have data on 2,900 stores. Your video inspired me to check Unknown 9 sales. While there was movement for 2k initial copies, which were store distributions, I saw maybe 50 other copies with movement, which were preorders, but nothing else.

We had around 350 copies of Unknown 9 for PS5 available for shipping, but the demand was 0, meaning none sold. On Xbox, we had about 150 copies and 0 demand. So between both platforms at the time of my first email, we sold zero copies."

Let’s break this down because, holy crap... According to the source that requested to remain anonymous (for obvious reasons), GameStop distributed 2,000 copies of Unknown 9: Awakening to their stores as part of their standard procedure for any game launch. But... outside of around 50 pre-orders, no additional copies were sold. ZERO. This means that, despite being available in 2,900 stores, the game didn’t move off shelves at all... like... ever. The sheer scale of this failure is beyond massive when you consider how rare it is for a game to generate almost zero post-launch sales at retail.

Even worse, for online orders, GameStop had roughly 500 units across both platforms (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S) available for shipping, with absolutely no demand. That’s right—zero copies sold online as well.

The Numbers Are... Telling

Retail stores serve as one of the most important early indicators of a game’s potential success. A game that fails to perform at GameStop, a chain that literally caters directly to gamers who are still looking to buy physical copies, is already in trouble. Typically, the majority of a game’s sales occur during the launch window, with pre-orders making up a significant portion of those sales. Once a game is out, the momentum from in-store displays, customer reviews, and word-of-mouth should help drive additional sales... But for Unknown 9, for those initial pre-orders, the interest dried up completely.

On top of all that, selling zero online copies is unheard of this day in age. In today’s digital-heavy marketplace, most games see strong sales through e-commerce platforms like GameStop’s online store, especially for "next-gen" titles. For there to be no demand whatsoever tells me that Unknown 9 has either failed to connect with its target 'modern' audience or, more likely based on the comments on my videos that I've been seeing - they never even heard of this game existing in the first place.

The Steam Numbers Tell a Similar Story

If the physical and online sales numbers weren’t bad enough, the situation on Steam looks equally dire. Now, 4 days after launch, Unknown 9: Awakening has only 121 active players. Its 24-hour peak hit a meager 147, and its all-time peak reached just 285 players four days ago. For context, most successful games see player peaks in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, especially during launch week. I knew it would be bad but this is waaaaay beyond terrible.

This poor Steam performance hints at a much larger problem: there was no buzz around the game. When a game can’t maintain a player base during its launch, either the gameplay isn’t compelling, the marketing was inadequate, or the game failed to meet the expectations set by its developers and publishers. In this case, it looks like the trifecta.

Kim Belair and Sweet Baby Inc: A Troubling Influence

A key reason behind the failure of Unknown 9: Awakening lies with its origins at Sweet Baby Inc., headed by CEO Kim Belair. Known for injecting DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives into every project she touches, Belair has built Sweet Baby Inc with a reputation for prioritizing messaging over gameplay. Sweet Baby Inc. is a consultancy that positions itself as a "champion" of representation in gaming, but their involvement has consistently led to projects that don’t resonate with audiences.

Belair has been very vocal about pushing DEI narratives into her games, often at the expense of the gameplay experience itself. Instead of focusing on what makes a game fun or engaging, her approach tends to prioritize social messaging, putting it at the forefront, which has repeatedly been rejected by the gaming community every single time. Unknown 9 was... no different. As her brainchild project, the game was heavily influenced by Belair’s vision, but it seems that vision did not align with what gamers actually wanted.

The problem with Sweet Baby Inc.’s influence isn’t just their heavy focus on DEI, but the fact that these efforts always seem to feel forced, making players feel like they’re being lectured rather than entertained. In an industry where players are looking for immersive worlds and engaging stories, overt political messaging alienates the audience, rather than draw them in. This disconnect between developer intent and player expectations is a significant reason why Unknown 9 has struggled so dramatically.

Belair’s track record isn’t encouraging either. Time and again, games that she and her team at Sweet Baby Inc. have been involved with have flopped or underperformed. Players are increasingly rejecting these forced narratives, and the data doesn’t lie—no amount of DEI branding can make up for a game that fundamentally lacks appeal. Yet, for some reason, companies continue to employ their practices. Curious, indeed...

The Bigger Picture: A Grim Future for Unknown 9

With zero demand at GameStop and dismal numbers on Steam, the future looks bleak for Unknown 9: Awakening. A game in such a dire state so early on is almost impossible to salvage.

For a new IP, the early days are the most important for building momentum. If no one is buying or playing the game now, it’s unlikely they will in the future.

In an industry where launch success is critical to a game’s long-term prospects, Unknown 9 is already headed toward the scrap heap of failed IPs. The question now is whether the developers can salvage anything from this trainwreck, or if Unknown 9 will simply become another forgotten title lost in the sea of video game flops.

For now, if this data from GameStop is even close to accurate, Unknown 9 is not just underperforming—it’s on life support. And with Kim Belair and Sweet Baby Inc at the helm, pushing the same failed strategies, it’s hard to imagine this game EVER turning things around.

~Smash