Bandai Namco has taken the difficult step of scrapping multiple titles it has had in development and also reduce its work force. The reason it has taken this drastic step is apparently due to lackluster demand for some of its video games. Bloomberg reports that one of the titles which has been canceled is a project commissioned by Nintendo, though what the project was is not stated.
“The Tokyo-based company is taking a traditionally Japanese approach to reducing staff and sending workers to rooms where they are given nothing to do, putting pressure on them to leave voluntarily, said the people, asking not to be named discussing private information. Since April, affiliate Bandai Namco Studios Inc. has moved about 200 of its roughly 1,300 employees to such rooms and nearly 100 have resigned, said the people. More are expected to leave in coming months, they said.”
“Over the summer, the company further shuttered smartphone game Tales of the Rays and said it would take down big-budget online game Blue Protocol in January. It’s also decided to either cancel or pause development of several games, including ones that feature characters from animes Naruto and One Piece, as well as a project commissioned by Nintendo Co.”
“Our decisions to discontinue games are based on comprehensive assessments of the situation. Some employees may need to wait a certain amount of time before they are assigned their next project, but we do move forward with assignments as new projects emerge,” a representative of Bandai Namco said. “There is no organization like an ‘oidashi beya’ at Bandai Namco Studios designed to pressure people to leave voluntarily.”
let’s hope thay don’t scrapped new mario kart game or super smash bros games
that would bad
Both IPs are killer hits for Nintendo, no way its them.
Its highly likely that 2022-reported 3D action game, if nothing else.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/bandai-namco-studios-is-developing-a-remaster-remake-of-a-3d-action-game-for-a-project-contracted-by-nintendo.572470/
What…?
Bandai Namco only ASSIST in the development of major Nintendo IP like Mario Kart. Mario Kart is almost entirely handled by Nintendo EPD Group No. 9. Any other outside developer only assists with additional manpower.
In what universe would Nintendo just go “Ah shit, Bandai Namco isn’t lending us additional people to help in the final stretch of development… MIGHT AS WELL CANCEL THE ENTIRE PROJECT OUR TEAM SPENT YEARS DEVELOPING LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL”
Wish more people sat on their own thoughts for more than five seconds and played out their ridiculous scenarios.
I hope it’s not a Xeno remaster that got cancelled. I wouldn’t recover.
I mean, unless it’s Xenogears or the three Xenosaga games, it’s really no biggie if that ended up happening, really.
The Blade games have already had some and are new/good enough that we would absolutely be better off with something else.
Saga really needs to be put back in the public eye, and a better second half of Gears, not to mention putting the price gougers back in their place would end up making Gears a very welcome remaster/remake.
Oh, wow. Switch is considered a failure now to cancel games?
RIP Kid Icarus Uprising HD
truly unfortunate
It hurts to hear this
All I care about is a potential new Tales of game being canceled.
And if being placed in a room to do nothing but still end up getting paid for it is a reason to quit in Japanese culture and people actually do that is a thing, that’s crazy.
“And if being placed in a room to do nothing but still end up getting paid for it is a reason to quit in Japanese culture and people actually do that is a thing, that’s crazy.”
What in the hell is this sentence even?
Did WE do that?
What do you mean?
I hope that whatever was cancelled was not the rumored Star Fox: Assault Remastered.
Bandai Namco hasn’t developed a single game themselves in the past 2 and a half decades that interested me in the slightest.
The only games they plastered their name on that I paid a license fee on psn to play was A game they had no hand in developing, and that’s Elden Ring.
I honestly hope the devs at FromSoftware, don’t get ruined by Bandai Namco.
Sending them to a room and hoping they quit….what is this traditional Japanese method called? I gotta do research on this… Man, I would have so much fun in that room lol