Namco Bandai opens Vancouver studio

Japanese Pac-Man and Tekken publisher Namco Bandai this week opened an office in Vancouver that will create mobile and online games. The Vancouver Sun reports that the office will employ around 30 people.

Namco Bandai announced the creation of its Vancouver studio in June. The outfit, located at the Centre for Digital Media at the Great Northern Way Campus, will be known as Namco Bandai Studios Vancouver Inc.

According to Namco Bandai Studios president Hajime Nakatani, the city of Vancouver was chosen over Montreal and Toronto because of its sizable "cluster" of digital artists and engineers.

Not only that, but Centre for Digital Media director Richard Smith said Canada is a smart choice to establish a studio because development talent is less likely to be lured away.

"One of the things that is attractive about Canada, I think, is the people are just as skilled and they are less likely to jump ship and disappear like in San Francisco or L.A.," Smith said. "Here's a place you can build up a team and they're not going to disappear on you."