Transitioning from Sales-Type Services to Interactive-Type Services

The BANDAI CARD GAMES brand was launched in September 2023 following a reevaluation of the card games offered by Bandai Co., Ltd. in order to better reflect the values expressed in the Bandai Namco Group’s Purpose. BANDAI CARD GAMES’ globe-shaped logo clearly expresses the brand’s connections to the world. The logo also represents the brand’s conversion from sales-type services, involving just the selling of cards, to interactive-type services, via which fans are connected to the worlds of IPs, thereby creating opportunities for real-life interactions with said fans.
I was previously involved in the development and operation of smartphone and home console games at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., an example of which was my overseeing of the release of DRAGON BALL Z Dokkan Battle as the game’s first producer. I seek to utilize this experience in my involvement with the BANDAI CARD GAMES brand. Fundamental to interactive-type services is the establishment of an environment in which we engage with fans while staying one step ahead of the market. I will strive to combine the organizational culture of the Card Business Department with the perspectives of other businesses and industries to ensure that our new service direction takes root and develops.

Securing the Third-Highest Share of the Growing Global Market

Trading card games are the mainstay products of the Card Business Department. The trading card game genre is relatively new, having debuted in the 1990s. However, the aging of its original demographic into the mature fan base has brought about a significant tailwind in the business environment.
In FY2025.3, the size of the Japanese trading card game market (see the graph) was ¥319.7 billion (a year-on-year increase of 11.7%).The global trading card game market is expected to continue expanding steadily, with growth centered in Japan and North America, the latter of which boasts the largest TCG market in the world.
In this growing business domain, Bandai currently ranks third in terms of global market share (as of March 2025). This growth was driven by the ONE PIECE Card Game, which was released in July 2022. The ONE PIECE Card Game became a massive success thanks to the Card Business Department’s maximization of its accumulated know-how, demonstrated in such strategies as linking said card game with the release of the ONE PIECE FILM RED movie and making the cards’ text, which is responsible for the world building of the game, more accessible and understandable. As of July 2025, we offer a total of six trading card game titles and are considering further expansion while ensuring that we enhance the quality of our related operations.
Meanwhile, in tandem with our trading card game operations, we have been expanding our DATA CARDDASS genre, which combines card games and amusement machines. DATA CARDDASS serves as a pillar of the Card Game Business alongside trading card games, and we have taken steps to steadily strengthen the business’ foundation, primarily in the Japanese and Asian markets. These steps include the launching of the new title DRAGON BALL SUPER DIVERS in November 2024 and the posting of record-high sales of Mobile Suit Gundam ARSENAL BASE and KAMEN RIDER Battle GANBA LEGENDS in the fourth quarter of FY2025.3.

Tailoring Our Approach to Local Conditions

As competitive games, the larger the player base for trading card games, the greater number of new strategies and new ways to have fun emerge, with existing fans recruiting new fans in a cycle of growth. For this reason, we are advancing efforts to cultivate new fans by holding BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest, an event bringing together the brand’s titles and boasting locations in 12 different regions of the world, as well as other events such as those geared toward children.
Our strategies are catered to the local conditions of each region. For instance, in North America, where trading card game culture has firmly taken root, we are seeking to enhance our relationships with trading card game fans. In inland China, meanwhile, which can potentially become a massive trading card game market in the future, we are strengthening marketing activities aimed at fans of IPs. For North America, in particular, we have established a new office in Dallas, Texas, striving for smoother content-related operations and enhanced customer experiences.

Utilizing Data in Decision-Making and Quality Control

Regarding our supply structure, we are executing initiatives to enhance our production capacity in Japan in order to meet strong demand. Additionally, in cooperation with the overseas production bases of our various partner manufacturers, we are exploring possible ways to expand our production regions in line with our target markets. We have also carried out initiatives concerning the proper translation and localization of the text printed on our cards. While such text contributes significantly to our products’ appeal, spending too much time on linguistic processes causes variation in the timing of product releases between regions, resulting in lost business opportunities. To prevent such loss for the GUNDAM CARD GAME, launched in July 2025, we took an innovative approach of releasing the game simultaneously in three languages: Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese. (For information on the GUNDAM CARD GAME, please refer to this page.) The entire process, including production and language adaptation, was supported by advancements in back-office quality control utilizing IT and AI. We are also making thorough use of data in the daily decision-making of product development. For instance, through the Bandai Namco Group’s Data Universe and our self-developed BANDAI TCG+ app, we are able to ascertain customer needs and reflect them in our product lineup.

Bringing the Greatness of Our Card Games to the World

In spring 2025, approximately 20,000 visitors attended BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest, which we held in Makuhari, Japan. I was deeply impressed by the excitement that filled the venue. Our trading card games embody our commitment to excellent products and provide a vehicle for in-person interactions that evoke a wide range of emotions. We seek to bring the greatness of our card games to as many people as possible.
The potential of the Card Game Business has yet to be fully explored. We are thus not satisfied with our past successes alone. Rather, we will pursue future challenges for contributing to the creation of card game culture on a global scale.