It’s not unusual for companies to re-brand themselves with a different but similar name to their old one. A prime example of this would be Spacetime Studios’ recent re-branding to Spacetime Games. Not a major change but different enough to make a difference. Namco Bandai is moving to do something similar with their name but it won’t be a whole lot different, just more confusing at first until everyone gets used to the change.
We say confusing because Namco Bandai will be changing their name to Bandai Namco across all their titles on all platforms that happen to use the old Namco Bandai name. What makes it even more interesting is that this will all take place (officially) on April 1st, 2014. Yes that is April Fools Day but apparently this isn’t a joke, just a very odd name change with very odd timing. The logo also won’t be changing at all besides the name switch.
While the company pushed out a press release with all the details regarding the name change, the reasoning still seems a bit odd. More power to them though! You can check out the full press release below.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. to Unify Under Global Rebranding Efforts and Emerge as BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc.
Corporate Rebranding Efforts Will Unite All BANDAI NAMCO Games Subsidiaries Under One Cohesive Brand
February 05, 2014 08:00 AM Eastern Standard TimeSAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that the company will officially rebrand itself as BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc. The BANDAI NAMCO Games corporate logo and name will be fully integrated in all of the company’s communications, product branding, and presences in digital and online spaces effective April 1, 2014.
“The BANDAI NAMCO Games logo has now become synonymous with great gaming products and services; it’s the perfect time for us to unify our corporate brand around the world and move forward together in a united front as a global company.”
On September 29, 2005, Bandai Co., Ltd. and NAMCO LIMITED implemented a management integration to form NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. This step was taken to compete more effectively on the global stage in the fast-changing digital entertainment industry and to deliver further growth for the newly merged company. The resulting BANDAI NAMCO Group has become a premier global entertainment group involved in business sectors ranging from video games, toys, amusement facilities, mobile and digital game software, to apparel and sundries. As previous separate entities (Namco Hometek Inc. and Bandai Games Inc.) the companies were each known for creating some of the industry’s top interactive entertainment franchises.
“Since its merger in late 2005, BANDAI NAMCO Games has grown to be one of the largest and most successful game publishers in its native Japan, the United States, Latin America, and Europe,” says Nobuhiro Kasahara, Chief Operating Officer at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “The BANDAI NAMCO Games logo has now become synonymous with great gaming products and services; it’s the perfect time for us to unify our corporate brand around the world and move forward together in a united front as a global company.”
The NAMCO BANDAI nomenclature continued to be used in North America and Europe post-merger due to the strong connection the Namco brand commanded in the video game space in these territories at the time. Today’s announced corporate rebranding will consolidate all BANDAI NAMCO Games subsidiaries under one cohesive logo and name for all communications, branding, and product labelling purposes.
