Bandai Namco will invest $130 million to develop “a metaverse for each IP”

Written by. Ryuki Ishii based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-02-08 16:20 JST)

Bandai Namco Holdings published a three-year Mid-term plan for the Bandai Namco Group on February 8. In it, the company explained that the core of their new Mid-term plan will be the group’s “IP axis strategy,” and as a part of the strategy, Bandai Namco will “develop a metaverse for each IP as a new framework for connecting with fans.” The explanation continues as follows:

“In this IP Metaverse, we are anticipating virtual spaces that will enable customers to enjoy a wide range of entertainment on an IP axis, as well as frameworks that leverage Bandai Namco’s distinctive strengths to fuse physical products and venues with digital elements. We are aiming for open frameworks that provide venues for connections with and among fans and business partners. Through the IP Metaverse, we will establish communities among Bandai Namco and fans, as well as among fans themselves. Through these communities and content, we will build deep, broad, multifaceted connections that continue for long periods of time, and we will focus on the quality of those connections. In this way, we will work to maximize IP value over the medium to long term. To advance development, we will collect IP information so that we can provide a variety of information to fans, develop content that leverages Bandai Namco’s distinctive strengths by fusing physical and digital elements, and build communities that will be venues for connections with and among fans and business partners.”

The IP axis strategy consists of IP x Fans (connecting with fans through IP), IP x Value (enhancing IP value), and IP x World (connecting the world through IP). The IP metaverse is part of the IP x Fans initiative.

To accommodate their plan, Bandai Namco will implement a total of 40 billion yen (around $350 million) “in strategic investment to accelerate evolution in the IP axis strategy” over the next three years. 15 billion yen (around $130 million) out of the 40 billion yen investment will go towards establishing the IP metaverse and development of content, and the other 25 billion yen towards “New IP creation, Groupwide IP projects, open innovation, etc.”

The concept of a metaverse has existed for a long time, but it has been gaining momentum in recent years. Many tech companies including Meta (formerly known as Facebook) are now actively trying to get into the market to seek new business opportunities. And now we know that Bandai Namco is chasing the metaverse as well.

Bandai Namco’s IP list includes The Idolmaster, Tekken, Tales of, Mobile Suit Gundam, and more. The company will likely utilize these IPs to develop metaverses.

Furthermore, it looks like the new corporate logo, which was first announced in October of 2021, has changed a bit. To be more specific, the color of the speech bubble motif surrounding the company name has changed from magenta to red.

Back in October, the company explained that “The magenta used as the motif color not only represents diversity, but also creates a bright and fun impression and is easy to reproduce.” Apparently, they’ve reconsidered their choice and provided the following reasoning behind the new color:

“For the motif color, we sent questionnaires to employees around the world to gather their thoughts about words that express images associated with the aims of the Group. From among the words that were frequently mentioned, we selected candidate colors through scientific methods linking words with colors. From among these candidates, we selected a bright red color that creates an impression that is enthusiastic, fun, active, and bold.”

The speech bubble motif is being used to express “the potential of the brand to connect with people around the world through dreams, fun and inspiration and inspire them with amazing ideas. The speech bubble also represents Japan’s manga culture.”

The new corporate logo will be introduced in April of 2022, which will coincide with the start of the new Mid-term Plan mentioned above.