Highlights
- Bandai Namco announces the cancelation of 5 upcoming games, revealing it is restructuring its internal process for evaluating games
- The change comes as several of Bandai Namco’s recent anime-licensed games have seen mixed reactions, including Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections and Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash
- Despite the cancelations, Bandai Namco confirms it is still working on DLC for Elden Ring, as well as multiple new Dragon Ball games.
Bandai Namco has revealed that the mega-popular developer has canceled five of its in-development games, reportedly making changes to the company’s development structure. As one of gaming’s biggest and most iconic developers, Bandai Namco has created a plethora of iconic franchises, as well as publishing multiple high-profile games. Bandai Namco has served as publisher for Elden Ring and Dark Souls developer FromSoftware, as well as a plethora of licensed anime games for franchises like Dragon Ball, Gundam, and Sword Art Online. Now, however, the developer is reportedly shelving several upcoming titles.
While Bandai Namco has seen plenty of success with published games like the previously mentioned Elden Ring and Tales of Arise, many of its anime-based titles have seen mixed reactions. 2023’s Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections saw criticism for its online multiplayer, also facing allegations of using AI for some of its voice acting. The recent Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash was panned on release, with many fans critiquing the game’s combat system and claiming it fails to capitalize on the franchise’s popularity. Now, Bandai Namco’s recent struggles are leading the company to re-evaluate its upcoming lineup.
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Bandai Namco is Canceling 5 Games
As reported by IGN, Bandai Namco has announced the cancelation of five in-development games, with the company looking to re-structure its development process. During its recent earnings report, Bandai Namco revealed the company is changing its in-house method for evaluating its upcoming games, citing the rising cost of game development. The announcement does not directly reveal any of the games that were canceled by Bandai Namco as a part of the company’s shift.
Though Bandai Namco announced several cancelations along with the new policies, the developer did confirm several of its upcoming games had not been affected. Bandai Namco is continuing to work on DLC for Elden Ring, with the game’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion expected to launch in 2024. The developer would also confirm it still has several Dragon Ball games in the works, following last year’s announcement of the upcoming Dragon Ball! Sparkling Zero. Bandai Namco had previously billed Sparkling Zero as a “starting point” for the franchise, intended to help new fans get into Dragon Ball.
Bandai Namco’s cancelation of five games comes as the studio still has plenty of published titles releasing in 2024. Developer Supermassive Games has multiple projects in the works between Little Nightmares 3, set to launch this year, and a new entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology. The recently released Tekken 8 has also been a massive success for Bandai Namco, already selling over 2 million copies within just three weeks. Bandai Namco’s new re-structuring of its development cycle will look to boost one of gaming’s most iconic brands.
