Namco Bandai Complete European Merger

Officials from Namco Bandai Games Europe have announced the creation of their new company, integrating Namco and Bandai video game operations in Europe, following the merger of the companies in Japan and North America. Although both companies operated limited marketing offices in Europe, sales and distribution has previously always been carried out by other companies. Traditionally Bandai has partnered with Atari/Infogrames, while Namco titles have generally been published by relevant console manufacturers or by Electronic Arts for multiformat releases. The new company will work out of existing offices in Cergy, France and London in the UK. The company indicates that there are “no plans affecting relationships with our partners” but that it will be scaling up the product management infrastructure “to provide greater support to European partners as part of an ongoing PAL roadmap for the company and its brands.” Further announcements are promised over the coming months, although whether this will include a move to self-publishing in Europe – as recently undertaken by Square Enix – is uncertain. “This integration has been extremely exciting for all concerned,” said Masayuki Matsuo, president of Namco Bandai Games Europe. “The collective strength of our two companies will allow us to position ourselves and our products more aggressively in Europe, competing alongside top tier publishers and supporting our distribution partners to maximize sales and marketing opportunities.”