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Bandai Namco Establishes Company for Pachinko, Similar Game Entertainment
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Bandai Namco Holdings announced on Wednesday that it will establish the Bandai Namco Sevens game-related company on April 1. The Bandai Namco Group company will focus on pachinko, pachislot (pachinko-parlor slot machine), and similar forms of game entertainment.
Bandai Namco Sevens will develop and sell game machines, as well as develop, manufacture, and sell video circuit boards. The company will also consider new business project management.
The SP Project division of Bandai Namco Group's video game company Bandai Namco Entertainment previously handled pachinko, pachislot, and similar game entertainment. The new company will make the previous division an independent entity.
Bandai Namco Entertainment will contribute 10 million yen (about US$91,200) to the new company. SP Project's Takayuki Kaneko (name romanizations not confirmed) will be the president of Bandai Namco Sevens, and SP Project's Yūji Tsuyuki will be the director. The company's head office will be in Kamiōsaki, Tokyo, near Bandai Namco Entertainment's headquarters in Hamamatsuchō, Tokyo.
Bandai Namco hopes to strengthen and expand its game entertainment business with the new company. With new products and services, the company aims to advance in a changing market.
Japan's industry for game machines such as pachinko and pachislot machines is said to be worth 19 trillion yen (about US$173 billion). However, the aging of fans in recent years has contributed to a decline in the market. In addition, Japan's passing of legislation last year to allow the establishment of casinos in the country is influencing the market.
Bandai Namco Holdings announced in December that it will establish the Bandai Namco Amusement (Shanghai) company in March to handle planning and management for amusement establishments in China. Bandai Namco Entertainment also announced in November that it will establish a new wholly-owned research institute called the "Bandai Namco Research Institute" on April 1.
Source: Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
