Summary
Two subsidiaries of Japanese entertainment juggernautBandai Namco, namely Bandai Namco Entertainment and Bandai Namco Online, will merge in April 2025, with the former company being the sole survivor of the upcoming consolidation. Born out of a merger between legendary toy manufacturer Bandai and multimedia giant Namco,Bandai Namcoowns many popular Japanese franchises, includingDark Souls,Gundam, andThe Idolmaster.
Bandai Namco Entertainment is the branch of the Bandai Namco group that primarily handles video games. A separate company dedicated to developing online experiences, the aptly named Bandai Namco Online, was spun off from Bandai Namco Entertainment in 2012 and has released a variety of titles since. However, following some recent high-profile failures, including the completecollapse of the MMORPGBlue Protocol, it has been revealed that Bandai Namco Online will soon be dissolved and re-incorporated into Bandai Namco Entertainment.
In aNovember 20 noticethat was released on Bandai Namco Online’s official website, it was announced that the company would be absorbed by Bandai Namco Entertainment on July 21, 2025. This move supposedly aims to respond to recent changes in the gaming industry and strengthen the management system for the business’s digital side. Active Bandai Namco Online games such as the long-runningmobile rhythm gameIdolish7and the browser-based RPGSD Gundam Operationswill continue to be run by Bandai Namco Entertainment, which will also inherit all customer contracts and liabilities from its sister company, according to the merger notice.
Bandai Namco Entertainment to Absorb Bandai Namco Online in April 2025
Bandai Namco Online also developed thefree-to-playGundam Evolutionteam shooter, which ended its service in November 2023. While the title reached a peak of close to 57,000 concurrent players on Steam, according to data provided byanalytics tracker SteamDB, it was unable to maintain a healthy base of gamers in the long run. OnOpenCritic, whereGundam Evolutionenjoys an average score of 72, many praised the shooter’s gameplay mechanics, but also criticized its slow progression system.
The announcement of Bandai Namco Online’s impending dissolution comes afterBloomberg reportedin October thatBandai Namco had already started to cut its workforceand cancel titles amid plateauing consumer demand. More than 14,000 people in the video game industry have been laid off in 2024, according to apublicly available tally maintained by journalist Mike Straw.
Among this year’s launches under theBandai Namcoumbrella wereDragon Ball: Sparking! Zero,Gundam Breaker 4, andTekken 8. Bandai Namco Entertainment is set to releaseFate/EXTRA Record,Little Nightmares 3, andSynduality: Echo of Adain 2025.
