Bandai Namco Studios
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![]() Headquarters in Kōtō, Tokyo | |
Native name | 株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオ |
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Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Bandai Namuko Sutajio |
Formerly | Namco Bandai Studios Inc. |
Type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | April 2, 2012 |
Headquarters | Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan |
Key people |
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Products |
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Revenue | ¥10 million (2020) |
Number of employees | 934 (2020) |
Parent | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Divisions |
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Website | bandainamcostudios.com |
Bandai Namco Studios Inc.[a] is a Japanese video game developer headquartered in Kōtō, Tokyo. Its offices in Malaysia and Singapore, Bandai Namco Studio Malaysia and Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, are based out of Infinite Studios, Singapore and Selangor, Malaysia respectively. Bandai Namco Studios is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Entertainment, which itself is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. The company works under its parent company as a keiretsu; Bandai Namco Studios creates video games for home consoles, handheld systems, mobile devices and arcade hardware, while Bandai Namco Entertainment handles the managing, marketing and publishing of these products.
Bandai Namco Studios was established in April 2012 as the spin-off company of publisher Namco Bandai Games's video game development divisions. Originally known as Namco Bandai Studios Inc., the decision was based on its parent company's restructuring efforts and need for a decrease in development times and increase in productivity. Studios absorbed over 1,000 employees from Namco Bandai Games, and 80 employees from the defunct Namco Tales Studio division. The company opened divisions in Malaysia and Vancouver in 2013 to expand operations overseas; the Vancouver division later closed in 2018. Its Malaysia division was established in 2016.
Bandai Namco Studios has worked on many successful video game franchises, including Tekken, Pac-Man, The Idolmaster, Ace Combat, Tales, and Soulcalibur, in addition to original intellectual properties such as Code Vein and Scarlet Nexus. Much like Namco developed games for Nintendo as a publisher since the GameCube, the company has also developed several games for them as Bandai Namco Studios, namely the Super Smash Bros. series beginning with fourth installment, Wii Sports Club, and spin-offs in the Pokémon franchise like Pokkén Tournament and New Pokémon Snap. The company is a strong advocate of video game preservation, preserving master arts, design documents, and other resources for its games.
History[]
Established on March 31, 2006, Namco Bandai Games was the amalgamation of Namco and Bandai's video game development operations being merged and consolidated into one company.[1][2] The developer produced the majority of its video games in-house, through its subsidiaries such as Banpresto and D3 Publisher,[3][4] or lending production to external studios. However, as the company was recovering from financial losses and was undergoing a reorganization, Namco Bandai Games believed it was necessary to spin-off its game development operations into a separate division.[5] The company requested for faster development times and healthy relations between its multiple business areas, and believed the formation of a new company would remedy this.[6]
Namco Bandai's video game operations were transferred to a new subsidiary, Namco Bandai Studios Inc., on April 2, 2012.[6][7] Located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, the company was headed by company veteran Hajime Nakatani and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Games.[8] Its parent company stated that Studios would allow for faster development times, tighter cohesion with aligning production teams, and more creative freedom and developer skills for its employees.[6][9] Namco Bandai's consecutive financial increases in its year-over-year profits also contributed to its establishment.[10] Studios inherited 1,000 employees from Namco Bandai Games and all 80 staff members from the former Namco Tales Studio, which ceased operations a year earlier.[6] It would focus on the development of new intellectual properties and follow-ups to established franchises, such as Tekken, Pac-Man, and Ace Combat.[6][9][11] The two companies would work in conjunction with one another as a keiretsu, where Namco Bandai Studios would develop and plan games and Namco Bandai Games would handle marketing, publishing, and distribution.[12]
Namco Bandai Studios opened two international divisions on March 1, 2013: Namco Bandai Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd. in Media Circle, Singapore, and Namco Bandai Studios Vancouver Inc. in Vancouver, Canada.[13] The Singapore division was assigned as Namco Bandai's head video game development branch in Asia, and to establish working relationships with fellow developers in the region.[13] The Vancouver division was to design online network games and provide content for North America and Europe, while simultaneously focusing on contributing to the country's growing game industry.[13] Namco Bandai Studios Singapore employed several staff members from the Singapore division of Lucasarts, who had previously worked on the cancelled Star Wars 1313.[14] Its Japanese division established a working relationship with Nintendo with Wii Sports Club, a high-definition remaster of the original Wii Sports (2006) for the Wii U;[15] several Nintendo games to follow were developed by Bandai Namco Studios, including Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014), Pokkén Tournament (2015), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) and New Pokémon Snap (2021).[16]
On April 1, 2014, Namco Bandai Studios was renamed Bandai Namco Studios Inc., following an effort by its parent company to unify the Bandai Namco brand across its international divisions.[17] The company began development on virtual reality arcade games the same month, which were designed for Bandai Namco Entertainment's VR Zone chain of video arcades. In 2016, Bandai Namco Studios released Summer Lesson, a virtual reality game designed for the PlayStation VR headset.[18] The Vancouver division closed on November 16, 2018, though a "skeleton crew" was kept to support Tekken Mobile,[19] and opened a Malaysia division in 2016.[20] Bandai Namco Studios won the "Grand Prize" award at the Japan Game Awards for its work on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as the "Japan Game Awards 2019 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" from the organization.[21]
Staff and design philosophy[]
Bandai Namco Studios identifies itself as the successor to Namco, focusing on its predecessor's design philosophies and corporate environment.[22] The company emphasizes creating unique and immersive experiences in games, and is against copying ideas from other developers. Many of its employees were originally employed at Namco:[22]
- Daisuke Uchiyama – President and CEO. Producer for many of Bandai Namco's anime fighting games, particularly those from the Dragon Ball series.[23]
- Shigeru Yokoyama – Company chairman. Designer of Galaga and Splatterhouse, and supervisor of franchises such as Xenosaga.[24]
- Kazutoki Kono – Head of Project Aces, the internal development team behind the Ace Combat series.[25]
- Minoru Sashida – Manager of the master art preservation program.[26] Artist for the Mr. Driller series, Techno Drive, and Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere.[27]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/BandaiNamcoStudios2018-2.jpg/250px-BandaiNamcoStudios2018-2.jpg)
Bandai Namco Studios is a strong advocate of video game preservation.[26] In particular, it sees the master art used for supplementary material in games, such as Galaxian (1979) and Pac-Man (1980), as being of historical importance; the company believes preserving these master arts allows for further appreciation of its predecessor's games as well as the arts themselves.[26] Studios has amassed a collection of 400 master arts, including those from Xevious (1983), Ridge Racer (1993), and J-League Soccer Prime Goal (1993),[28] which it stores in an internal department named the "Banarchive".[29] Many of its pieces were originally deemed lost during its move to Kōtō in 2015, though most have since been recovered.[30] Bandai Namco Studios hopes to easily share its master arts to the public in the form of YouTube retrospective videos and a virtual reality museum through its Namco Museum of Art project.[22][31]
In addition to its master arts, Bandai Namco Studios has also preserved promotional pamphlets, source code, master models for characters, design documentation, and release dates for all video games by Namco, Bandai, and Banpresto.[22] Other divisions within Bandai Namco Holdings and external companies have used these arts for products such as apparel and posters.[30] Hisaharu Tago, the producer of the Nintendo Switch release of Namco Museum, hopes the company will be able to bring the entirety of Namco's back catalog for modern gaming platforms.[32]
Gameography[]
Notes[]
References[]
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- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (November 8, 2007). "Sayonara, Banpresto". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
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- ^ "バンダイナムコスタジオ公式サイト". www.bandainamcostudios.co.jp (in Japanese). Namco Bandai Studios. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
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- ^ Jump up to: a b Gilbert, Ben (February 10, 2012). "Namco spins off internal dev studios into 'Namco Bandai Studio'". Engadget. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Pearson, Dan (November 2, 2011). "Namco Bandai games sales at ¥28bn for half year". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Tolentino, Josh (February 10, 2012). "Namco Bandai is founding a 1000-person dev studio". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
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- ^ Jump up to: a b c Romano, Sal (April 10, 2013). "Namco Bandai opening Singapore and Vancouver studios". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
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- ^ Jump up to: a b Kyle MacGregor Burleson (October 29, 2013). "Wii Sports Club co-developed with Namco Bandai". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Craddock, Ryan (11 November 2019). "Turns Out Bandai Namco Helped To Develop Mario Kart Tour". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ Romano, Sal (January 24, 2014). "Namco Bandai changing name to Bandai Namco". Gematsu. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tanigawa, Hajime (October 28, 2015). "「Unreal Engine」はバンダイナムコスタジオに何をもたらしたのか?". Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Kerr, Chris (16 November 2018). "Bandai Namco Studios Vancouver has shut down". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "About The Company". www.bandainamcostudios.my. Bandai Namco Studios Malaysia. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "『日本ゲーム大賞2019 年間作品部門』で『大賞』を受賞しました!". www.bandainamcostudios.com (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Studios. 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Furuya, Yoichi (December 24, 2020). "『ギャラクシアン』や『ワルキューレ』など、ナムコ往年の名作キービジュアルはこうして救われた。バンダイナムコスタジオによるアーカイブの取り組みを聞く". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (August 7, 2004). "Budokai 3 Event at Metreon". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Namco Bandai Games (2011). "Galaga - 30th Anniversary Developer Interview". Galaga WEB. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ Tran, Edmond (January 26, 2017). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Goes Back To Its Roots". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "ゲームのキービジュアルを"読み解く"ことで再発見される価値。バンダイナムコスタジオによる制作のなかで生まれた資産の発掘と保存【CEDEC 2020】". Yahoo! News (in Japanese). September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ Murakami, Munjo (March 4, 2016). "「ナムコ遺伝子」を継ぐ者が大集結! 30年前の受付ロボ復活劇". ITMedia (in Japanese). ITMedia. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Yasuda, Toshiaki (September 2, 2020). "行方不明のキービジュアル原画を救え! バンナム社員が立ち上がった"ゲームの顔"の発掘と保存". Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Murata, Sejiro (December 24, 2020). "『ギャラクシアン』や『ワルキューレ』など、ナムコ往年の名作キービジュアルはこうして救われた。バンダイナムコスタジオによるアーカイブの取り組みを聞く". Yahoo! News (in Japanese). Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Murata, Seijiro (September 2, 2020). "ゲームのキービジュアルを"読み解く"ことで再発見される価値。バンダイナムコスタジオによる制作のなかで生まれた資産の発掘と保存【CEDEC 2020】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Nagaoka, Yori (October 6, 2020). "Android/iOS用地理情報ゲーム「PAC-MAN GEO」配信! 「パックマン」生誕40周年を記念した様々な企画が展開中". Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (September 27, 2018). "Inside the return of Namco Museum". Retronauts. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "『テイルズ オブ ハーツ R』開発陣が語る"再構築"へのコダワリ【開発者インタビュー】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain, Inc. November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ "Bandai Namco Studios And Roadhouse Interactive Announce Mobile Game Development Partnership". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. December 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Drake, Audrey (21 June 2012). "Namco Bandai Developing Next Smash Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Tran, Edmond (January 23, 2017). "How Tekken 7's Arcade Roots Are Shaping Its Console Form". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
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- ^ Carden, Dennis (1 February 2017). "Review: Tales of Berseria". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ Minotti, Mike (20 July 2016). "Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 coming for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam in September". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017.
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External links[]
- Bandai Namco Holdings subsidiaries
- Japanese companies established in 2012
- Software companies based in Tokyo
- Video game companies established in 2012
- Video game companies of Japan
- Video game development companies