Bandai Namco cancels games and cuts staff

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Bandai Namco is cutting its workforce and canceling several upcoming titles due to low demand.
More than 100 employees have already left, and another 100 are likely to quit in the coming months.
The company's latest release, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, sold over three million copies on its first day.

Bandai Namco It is cutting its workforce and canceling some titles due to low demand, including a contract project with Nintendo. Despite impressive sales for its latest release, Dragon Ball: Zero SparkBandai Namco has reportedly been relocating employees since April 2024 as it reevaluates some of its in-production games.

In 2006, Bandai and Namco merged in an effort to reach new audiences, and the company now owns some of the biggest game franchises in the world, including tech, Dark Soulsand Ace fight. While recent titles like Tekken 8 and Dragon Hall: Zero Spark Bandai Namco recently announced that the MMO anime was an incredible success Blue protocol It will no longer be released worldwide, as its Japanese servers will be shut down in January 2025. The Japanese company is now looking to cut costs by cutting staff, but doing so in a unique way.

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Trunks Gohan Goku Vegeta getting ready to fight

Bandai Namco sent a message to the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Leaker streaming the game

Ahead of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Bandai Namco sends a message to the streamer who leaked the game.

According to Bloomberg, Bandai Namco uses a Japanese method called “oidashi beya” to let employees leave on their own, rather than being let go and receiving severance pay. Employees are herded into rooms where they are given nothing to do, and nearly 100 Bandai Namco workers have reportedly quit since April due to this frustrating practice. Another 100 employees are expected to resign in the coming months. This practice is mainly used to circumvent the country's strict labor laws, which make it extremely difficult to fire employees without severe economic conditions at play.

More than 100 Bandai Namco employees have resigned since April 2024

A Bandai Namco representative claims that the company does not use “oidashi beya” to pressure people to quit, instead claiming that some employees are asked to wait for their next mission. Unfortunately, the company recently canceled the mobile title The stories of raysIt has also announced that it will halt development on several titles, including those featuring characters from popular anime and manga series. each piece and Naruto. Bandai Namco will also stop working on a project commissioned by Nintendo, although no details about the game have been released.

While these delayed and canceled projects seem to be causing trouble for Bandai Namco, the company is currently celebrating a major victory. Dragon Ball: Zero Spark. The first new entry in Tenkaichi Bodaka The series in 15 years Dragon Ball: Zero SparkAfter its launch on October 10, its one-day sales exceeded three million worldwide. It also reached 122,554 concurrent players on Steam, proving that Bandai Namco still has a lot of magic up its sleeve.

Fans are excited about a number of upcoming anime-inspired releases from the developer, including a recently leaked anime. Death Note: The Killer Within and Bleach: Rebirth of Ghosts. Since none of these titles have a set release date, gamers are hoping they won't be affected by Bandai Namco's current situation.