Bandai Namco Holdings

**Bandai Namco Holdings Inc.**, also known as the **Bandai Namco Group** and generally **Bandai Namco**, is a Japanese holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on September 29, 2005. The company specializes in toys, video games, arcades, anime, and amusement parks. Bandai Namco also supply various arcade machines to movie theaters and arcades across the globe.

The company's headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo. Their US branch, Bandai Namco Holdings USA, was officially formed on January 6, 2008, and handles the US operations of the company from their headquarters in El Segundo, California. As of 2017, Bandai Namco is the world's largest toy company, earning $6.4 billion in annual revenue.

## History

Namco Bandai Holdings was created in 2005, when toy maker Bandai and video game developer Namco performed a management integration. Officially, Namco was purchased by Bandai for $1.7 billion.[citation needed] 57% of the company's holding went to Bandai while 43% went to Namco. Furthermore, Bandai swapped one of its shares for 1.5 shares of the new Namco Bandai. Namco traded evenly with a one-for-one share, carried out via a share exchange. The shareholders of Namco received one NBHD share for each Namco share and the shareholders of Bandai received 1.5 NBHD shares for each Bandai share. Prior to the merger, Bandai and Namco had various subsidiaries that worked under them. After the merger of Bandai Namco, the respective Bandai and Namco subsidiaries were re-designated into different areas of the combined conglomerate.

On March 31, 2006, Namco and Bandai's video game operations merged to form Namco Bandai Games. Namco's video arcade and amusement park divisions were spun-off into a new subsidiary that retained the Namco branding.

In September 2006, BNHD acquired CCP Co., Ltd. from Casio and made it a wholly owned subsidiary. BNHD have since fully acquired developers Banpresto (whose video game operations were absorbed into Bandai Namco Games on April 1, 2008) and Namco Tales Studio since the merger. Formerly, both were partially owned by Bandai and Namco respectively.

The business of Bandai Networks Co., Ltd. was merged into Bandai Namco Games in April 2009 and Bandai Networks subsequently ceased to exist as a separate company.

Namco Bandai bought a 34% stake in Atari Europe on May 14, 2009, paving the way for its acquisition from Infogrames. Until June 30, 2012, Infogrames had the option to sell the other 66% in Atari Europe to NBHD. Between June 31, 2012, to June 20, 2013, Bandai Namco gained the option to acquire the 66% stake. On the 7th of July 2009, Bandai Namco Holdings bought 100% of Atari Australia Pty Ltd. BNHD acquired 100% of the shares of Atari Asia Holdings Pty. Ltd. and 100% of the shares of Atari UK Ltd.

Bandai Namco acquired D3 Inc., the parent company of D3 Publisher, on March 18, 2009, after first acquiring a 95% stake in the company. In August 2013, Bandai Namco opened a studio in Vancouver, broadening its reach for western demographics.

In October 2019, Bandai Namco Holdings announced plans to acquire Sotsu, a move which will grant the company rights to the entire Gundam franchise, which the company already holds part of due to owning the studio Sunrise and due to Bandai being one of the producers of the series.

The company acquired minority stake in Limbic Entertainment in February 2021.