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Namco and Bandai tie the knot in US

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Jan 4, 2006 9:43 am PT

North American publishing outfits merged by Japanese parent company; now known as Namco Bandai Games America.

The long merger process that Bandai and Namco began last May has culminated with today's announcement that the two companies have merged their North American operations.

Since Monday, all US subsidiaries of the Bandai Namco group have been operating as Namco Bandai Games America Inc. The newly integrated group combines Bandai's toy and DVD businesses with Namco's arcade, mobile, PC, and console game divisions, all operating out of what used to be Namco Hometek's Santa Clara, California, offices.

"We are thrilled that the integration of the two North American entities is now complete and we are all now under one roof," said the new company's president and CEO, Genichi Ito, in a statement. "We are proud to be part of the new Namco Bandai Games America family and look forward to a successful year ahead."

Ito's enthusiasm was echoed by his new corporate planning senior vice president Naruo Uchida, formerly of Bandai Games.

"The integration of our two companies has been a team effort over the last several months," Uchida said. "We have worked together to fuse the many strengths each of our companies have to form one strong North American operation."

When Bandai and Namco originally announced plans for the merger of US operations, they said that the resulting boost in efficiency would increase the Japanese companies' foreign revenue for the current business year by 19 percent, and are targeting a 50-percent boost in that area for the long term.

Bandai is best known for its many anime-based game lines like Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop, though it also owns popular toy properties like Tamagotchi. Namco's lengthy roster of recognizable franchises includes Pac-Man, Tekken, Ridge Racer, Ace Combat, Soul Calibur, Katamari Damacy, and Klonoa.

35 Comments

  • dudeass345

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:38 pm PT

    Finnaly we just might see a great Gundam game after all

  • dudeass345

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:36 pm PT

    Finnaly we just might see a great Gundam game after all

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jan 5, 2006 5:45 am PT

    maybe they will release a toy making game? :b

  • neoand12

    Posted Jan 5, 2006 4:15 am PT

    maybe a Dragonball Z games will look as real as Tekken

  • PK-er1111

    Posted Jan 5, 2006 3:19 am PT

    I hope soon we'll bee seeing Katamari Damacy action figures!

  • Jinggo78

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 11:37 pm PT

    I hope that this will mean anime-based games that don't suck as well. Then that way people in hell can cool off when it freezes over. heh heh...

  • forever_blank

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 10:55 pm PT

    Namco, wow... I wonder if there products will change in the long run.

  • Jorge_Cav

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 6:16 pm PT

    So we will have better anime games. Well I hope there are good Gundam style games, I really liked Gundam Wing anime but it seems its to old to make a game for it but lets wait to see better Gundam Seed games.

  • GameDestroyer88

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 6:09 pm PT

    Hmm....was this really neccessary....Namco already makes Blockbuster hits...you know Tekken, Soul Calibur. Bandai on the other hand pops out suck ass Gundam games month after month. If this is going to benefit anybody it will most likely be Bandai.

  • ArmoredAshes

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 5:39 pm PT

    Well lets hope this works out for the best =)

  • spr4yp4int

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 3:27 pm PT

    mechayakuza, I didn't see that coming either, but when I think about it it is the only ps1 game I still play. (Klonoa 1) also, Klonoa has a lot of titles for portables.

  • kaseykahnefan01

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 1:49 pm PT

    So......Will we see better games for the future?

  • maldaen

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 1:17 pm PT

    It wasn't about anyone having money troubles, both companies found mutually beneficial aspects of such a merger.

    Namco gets to broaden their games' appeal through merchandising its franchise characters like only Bandai can, and has easier access to anime licenses for games... not to mention turning their games into anime licenses.

    Bandai benefits from stronger brand power and retail presence in the US video game industry, a larger gateway into Japanese arcade games, even more marketable franchises for its merchandising wing, and a stronger pool of developer talent for its video games.

    This wasn't about money trouble (though Namco was struggling a bit, their situation wasn't DIRE). It was about strengthening both companies with a unified portfolio.

    The one company who SHOULD be merging with someone and isn't is CAPCOM. Seriously, they are doing pretty bad, constantly teetering on Sega-level money troubles.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 12:45 pm PT

    Though one has to wonder which company initiated the merger. I can't imagine Namco would be in any financial trouble...

  • Supersonic2000

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 12:38 pm PT

    With Namco's expertise in game developing we just may start seeing better anime based games. This merge was indeed an excellent decision.

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 12:36 pm PT

    Just hurry up an get Cowboy Bebop out an i wont care ^.^

  • Kenzo287

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 12:21 pm PT

    Such an odd pair but theres many posibilities!

  • QuazarX

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 12:15 pm PT

    I doubt this means much in the short run. There's potential for cool things in the long run, however, such as anime-based games that don't suck.

    I really don't like that logo, though.

  • deleteuser

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 11:38 am PT

    O dear good.....

  • thedarkoracle

    Posted Jan 4, 2006 11:25 am PT

    I'd be really worried, wondering who's manning the helm the day we see the King of All Cosmos (or whatever his name is) in a Soul Calibur title on a next-gen console. Or how about say Yoshimitsu piloting a Gundam.

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