Foundation: 2005
Headquarters: Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo
President: Yasuo Miyagawa
Executive Summary: Bandai Namco was formed in September 2005 through a corporate merger between Namco, a video game developer and publisher, and Bandai, a company known for toy manufacturing, plastic model kits, and formerly as a video game company. The company’s headquarters are in Minato Ward, Tokyo, with international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America in Santa Clara, California, and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe in Lyon, France. Originally named Namco Bandai at its founding, the company rebranded to Bandai Namco in 2014 to strengthen its presence in the Western market and solidify its industry standing.
The core video game development studio for Bandai Namco Entertainment is Bandai Namco Studios, established as a separate entity in April 2012. Bandai Namco Studios develops video games for home consoles, handheld systems, mobile devices, and arcade hardware, while Bandai Namco Entertainment oversees the management, marketing, and publishing of these games.
Bandai Namco owns several multi-million dollar video game franchises, including Gundam, Pac-Man, Tekken, Soulcalibur, Tales, Ace Combat, The Idolmaster, and Dark Souls. It ranks as the third-largest game company in Japan by revenue and market capitalization, following Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo, and leads over other major Japanese brands like Square Enix, Konami, and Sega.
The company also holds licenses to numerous Japanese media franchises such as Shonen Jump, Kamen Rider, Sword Art Online, and the Ultra Series. Bandai Namco’s annual income is approximately US$6 billion.
