Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. (株式会社バンダイナムコホールディングス, Kabushiki Gaisha Bandai Namuko Hōrudingusu), also known as Bandai Namco, is a Japanese entertainment company based in Minato, Tokyo that was formed by the merger of toy manufacturer, Bandai Co., Ltd.,[a] and video game developer, Namco Ltd. on September 29, 2005.
The company is split into four main subsidiaries: Bandai, a toy manufacturer originally founded by Naoharu Yamashina on July 5, 1950, Bandai Namco Amusement, an arcade cabinet manufacturer originally founded by Masaya Nakamura on June 1, 1955, Bandai Namco Entertainment, a video game developer and publisher founded in January 2006, and Bandai Namco Pictures, a Japanese animation and production studio found in April 2015, which is a spinoff of Sunrise Inc.
History
In February 2005, in the wake of their 50th anniversary, Namco announced their intent to merge with Bandai to form Bandai Namco Holdings. The merge was finalized on September 25, creating the third-largest video game publisher in Japan by revenue.[1] Bandai purchased Namco for US$1.7 billion, with Namco receiving 43% of shares and Bandai receiving the other 57%. Both companies in a joint statement cited Japan's decreasing birth rates and advancements in technology as the reason for the merge, and to increase their relevance to newer audiences. Both companies worked independently under the newly formed Bandai Namco Holdings until March 31, 2006, when their video game operations were merged to form Namco Bandai Games.[2][3][4] Earlier on January 26, Namco Hometek and Bandai Games merged to form Namco Bandai Games America, the North American division.[5][6] Namco's arcade and amusement park divisions were formed into a new subsidiary that retained the Namco branding.
On April 1, 2018, Bandai Visual and Lantis were merged into Bandai Namco Arts. It would later be renamed into Bandai Namco Music Live after being subsumed by Sunrise Music in October 2021. To commemorate the company's 72nd anniversary, on April 1, 2022, Bandai Namco implemented a new logo that was also used for most of their major subsidiaries. On the same day, the company restructured Sunrise into Bandai Namco Filmworks.[7]
Credits
- Phantom Blood (film) (As Bandai)
- Production Company
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
- Graphics Model Cooperation (eps 26-27, 30-35, 46-48) (OP 1-2)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
- Graphics Model Cooperation (ep 18)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (As Bandai Namco Pictures)
- 2nd Key Animation (eps 17-20, 25-26, 29, 33)
- In-between Animation (eps 10, 19, 35, 39)
- Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan OVA (As Bandai Namco Pictures)
- In-between Animation (ep 9)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
- 3DCGI (OP 1)
- 2nd Key Animation: (ep 14) (As Bandai Namco Pictures)
Subsidiaries
Notes
- ↑ Known as Bandai Co., Ltd. (株式会社バンダイ, Kabushiki Gaisha Bandai) in Japan.
References
- ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bandai-namco-to-merge/1100-6123385/
- ↑ http://www.1up.com/news/bandai-namco-finalize-merger-details
- ↑ https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/en/releases/images/3/26785.pdf
- ↑ http://www.bandainamco.co.jp/ir/library/pdf/communication/2006_report.pdf
- ↑ http://uk.ign.com/articles/2006/01/04/namco-bandai-complete-north-american-merger
- ↑ http://www.gamespy.com/playstation-2/soul-calibur-iii/678772p1.html
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-02-08/bandai-namco-details-restructuring-of-sunrise-other-ip-production-operations/.182390
