MESSAGES FROM REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTORS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
Building a Robust Business Foundation and Creating Titles
That Exceed Fan Expectations
In Charge of Digital Unit
Bandai Namco Holdings Inc.
President and CEO
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
Achievements in the First Year of the Mid-term Plan
In FY2026.3, the Digital Unit’s performance was impacted by differences in the title lineup compared with the previous fiscal year, in which we enjoyed major success with numerous titles. However, we began to see tangible results from our efforts to bolster our development structure, with many new titles performing above our expectations. Most notably, the new network content title SD Gundam G Generation ETERNAL made a significant contribution to performance, supported by timely cross-promotional initiatives across visual works, products, and services in the Gundam series. We therefore believe that the Digital Unit made a meaningful contribution to enhancing the value of the Gundam IP.
In addition, the Licensing Business Division has been achieving steady performance since its establishment in April 2025 to expand the Digital Unit’s IP assets across a broad range of entertainment domains. By establishing a single point of contact, the Licensing Business Division has facilitated smoother collaboration with partner companies and local governments while also accelerating decision-making. In terms of specific results, we have built a foundation for turning game IPs into additional revenue streams, as demonstrated by the excitement generated for the 45th anniversary of PAC-MAN. We also made progress on the live-action film adaptation of the home console title ELDEN RING, which is targeted for a global theatrical release in 2028. Looking ahead, we view the integration of games and visual content as an increasingly important strategic area.
Optimizing Our Game Portfolio and Development Capabilities to Deliver Consistent Hits
Gaming is an inherently creative domain. Yet consistently delivering high-quality titles requires more than the passion and creativity of developers. It also depends on a strong business foundation, including a balanced portfolio and robust development capabilities. For this reason, it is essential that we clearly define our areas of focus, identify the game genres best suited to each IP, allocate investment strategically, and create a structure that enables us to maximize creativity. Also, it is important to mention that we are not focused only on single-year successes. Instead, we strive to build an optimized game portfolio balancing titles that have long development periods with titles that can be rolled out in a short time frame to capture timely trends and peak IP relevance, enabling both stability and growth. Through this approach, we will continue to deliver titles that fans are eager to play and glad to have purchased.
To strengthen our development capabilities, we reorganized our structure to enable division heads to take a Groupwide view when making decisions on title prioritization and resource allocation. As a result, collaboration across IPs and business divisions has progressed steadily, enabling us to build a development structure that maximizes value not only for individual titles but for the organization as a whole. To further advance development from a cross-organizational perspective, we are working to achieve the optimal balance between in-house development, which leverages the Digital Unit's expertise, and collaboration with external partners, taking into account the characteristics of each IP. By promoting the exchange of knowledge between internal teams and external partners, we continue to strengthen our overall development capabilities.
Furthermore, the introduction of our in-house game engine SOL-AVES is improving development efficiency while enabling us to create games that more fully reflect the unique worldviews and gameplay styles of each IP and accumulate valuable development expertise. Building on these capabilities, we believe that expanding collaboration with a diverse range of partners will bring fresh ideas and lead to the creation of innovative new titles.
Moreover, we must not only improve development efficiency but also expand IP globally through our game titles and deliver a wide range of entertainment experiences by leveraging the Group’s resources to the greatest extent possible. To that end, deepening our connections with fans is our utmost priority. In addition to promoting engagement through social media and other platforms, we place great importance on strengthening and expanding fan touchpoints through live events. By bringing people together and creating shared experiences, live events foster deeper connections with IPs. They also enable video game IPs to extend beyond the boundaries of gaming, opening up new opportunities for fan engagement, broadening the worlds of our titles, and creating additional value.
Extending Our Goal Beyond Our Own Growth to Raising the Global Profile of the Industry as a Whole
Game development requires massive investment, and to be able to invest in development on a continuous basis requires a strong financial foundation. For this reason, we are focused on building a solid foundation primarily by growing sales of our network content, which operates in a very stable manner, and our existing home console titles. Built on this foundation, we aim to create hit titles that exceed fan expectations and generate further growth across the Group. Furthermore, our ambitions extend beyond the Group itself. Through partnerships with external companies, we are committed to expanding the global presence of the entertainment industry as a whole. Taking the lead in this endeavor is both the challenge we embrace and the mission of the Digital Unit.
Bandai Namco Group 1 YEAR OF RESULTS
Integrated Report 2026
Integrated Report 2026
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IP LINEUPFact Book 2026
What Our Purpose Means to Me