Bandai rechristens game division

Bandai America announced a few changes to its business model in North America today. The US arm of the behemoth Japanese toy maker, Bandai America, has spun its video game division out into a full-fledged subsidiary.

In a statement today, the company said Bandai Games, Inc. (BGI) was incorporated on January 3, 2005, and will be focused on "publishing and marketing innovative new video games featuring distinctive characters for the North American market." Target demographics for the new group will be "all [game] fans, including children, anime fans, gamers, and the mass market."

Three new games were announced along with the news of the new company. Before the end of the year, BGI plans to release an action-based galactic game, D.I.C.E.; a pirate-themed game titled One Piece; and a fighter, Zatch Bell. All games are due for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.

"The mission of Bandai Games Inc. is to know what the North American market wants and deliver the best new games here," John Soller, BGI's marketing manager said in a statement. "This is an exciting beginning for us because we have many new titles with wide appeal that will be introduced this year."

The company also began using the new tagline, "Playing is believing," which it will employ in its advertising and branding campaigns.