List of Bandai Namco video game franchises

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Logo for Bandai Namco Holdings. It consists of the text "BANDAI NAMCO" in black, on a open red chat box overlapping background.

Bandai Namco Holdings is a Japanese holdings company, based in Tokyo, that specializes in video games, anime, toys, arcades and amusement parks.[1] The company was formed following the merger of Bandai and Namco on 29 September 2005, with both companies' assets being merged into a single corporate entity.[2] The core video game branch of the company is Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly called Namco Bandai Games, which develops games for home consoles, arcades and mobile phones internationally. Bandai Namco is best known for its video game franchises; Pac-Man is its highest-grossing franchise with over US$12.8 billion by 2016,[3] while Tekken is its best-selling franchise with over 49 million copies across multiple platforms.[4] By the late 2010s, Bandai Namco was the largest toy company by revenue and the eighth-largest video game company.[5][6]

Bandai Namco owns former developer Banpresto, which operates as a toy company in Japan and was purchased in 2006,[7] and acquired a 95% stake in D3 Publisher in 2009.[8] The company owns the video game assets of defunct developer BEC, which merged with Banpresto in 2011 to form B.B. Studio.[9] Bandai Namco also owns the video game rights to several anime licenses, notably Dragon Ball;[10] in this instance, the first entry for these franchises will list the first game developed or published by Bandai Namco or a subsidiary company, even if the series did not begin at that time.

Franchises[edit]

Bandai Namco franchises
Franchise First game Released Latest game Released Ref.
Ace Combat Air Combat 1995 Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown 2019 [11]
Ace Driver Ace Driver 1994 Ace Driver 3: Final Turn 2008 [12]
Alpine Racer Alpine Racer 1995 Super Alpine Racer 2014 [13]
Another Century's Episode* Another Century's Episode 2005 Another Century's Episode Portable 2011 [14]
Ar Tonelico Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia 2006 Ar Tonelico Qoga 2010 [15]
Babylonian Castle Saga The Tower of Druaga 1984 The Labyrinth of Druaga 2011 [16]
Baraduke Baraduke 1985 Bakutotsu Kijutei 1988 [17]
Bosconian Bosconian 1981 Final Blaster 1990 [18]
Bravoman Bravoman 1988 Bravoman: Binja Bash! 2013 [19]
Compati Hero* SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Bash 1991 Lost Heroes 2 2015 [20]
Cyber Sled Cyber Sled 1993 Cyber Commando 1995 [21]
Dark Souls Dark Souls 2011 Dark Souls: Remastered 2018 [22]
Dig Dug Dig Dug 1982 Dig Dug Island 2008 [16]
Digimon Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamers 1998 Digimon Survive 2022 [23]
Dōchūki Yōkai Dōchūki 1987 F1 Dōchūki 1991 [16]
Dragon Ball* Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo 1986 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 2020 [24]
Family Stadium Pro Baseball: Family Stadium 1986 Pro Baseball: Famista 2020 2020 [25]
Final Lap Final Lap 1987 Final Lap Special 2002 [26]
Galaxian Galaxian 1979 Galaga Revenge 2019 [27]
Genpei Tōma Den Genpei Tōma Den 1986 Samurai Ghost 1992 [16]
God Eater God Eater 2010 God Eater 3 2018 [28]
Golly! Ghost! Golly! Ghost! 1990 Golly! Ghosts! Goal! 1996 [29]
Gundam Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1 1983 Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON 2020 [30]
Gunpey Gunpey 1999 Gunpey Flower Carnival 2017 [31]
.hack .hack//Infection 2002 .hack//G.U. Last Recode 2017 [32]
The Idolmaster The Idolmaster 2005 The Idolmaster Starlit Season 2020 [33]
Katamari Katamari Damacy 2004 We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie 2023 [34]
Klonoa Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 1997 Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 2022 [35]
Mappy Mappy 1983 Mappy World 2011 [16]
Mojipittan Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan 2001 Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan Encore 2020 [36]
MotoGP* MotoGP 2000 MotoGP 2006 [37]
Mr. Driller Mr. Driller 1999 Mr. Driller Drill Land 2020 [38]
Namco Generations Pac-Man Championship Edition DX 2010 Galaga Legions DX 2011 [39]
Namco Museum Namco Museum Vol. 1 1995 Namco Museum Archives 2020 [40]
Naruto* Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2003 Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker 2018 [41]
Numan Athletics Numan Athletics 1993 Mach Breakers: Numan Athletics 2 1995 [42]
One Piece* One Piece: Become the Pirate King! 2000 One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 2020 [43]
Pac-Man Pac-Man 1980 Pac-Man World Re-Pac 2022 [44]
Point Blank Point Blank 1994 Point Blank X 2016 [45]
Pole Position Pole Position 1982 Pole Position Remix 2008 [46]
Project X Zone* Project X Zone 2012 Project X Zone 2 2015 [47]
Rally-X Rally-X 1980 Rally-X Rumble 2011 [48]
Ridge Racer Ridge Racer 1993 Ridge Racer Draw & Drift 2016 [49]
Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder 1986 Rolling Thunder 3 1993 [50]
Sailor Moon* Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon 1992 Sailor Moon Drops 2015 [51]
Simple Simple 1500 Series Vol. 1: THE Mahjong 1998 Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade 2012 [52]
Sky Kid Sky Kid 1985 Sky Kid Deluxe 1986 [16]
Soulcalibur Soul Edge 1995 Soulcalibur VI 2018 [53]
Splatterhouse Splatterhouse 1988 Splatterhouse 2010 [54]
Star Luster Star Luster 1985 Star Ixiom 1999 [16]
Steel Gunner Steel Gunner 1991 Steel Gunner 2 1992 [55]
Summon Night Summon Night 2000 Summon Night 6: Lost Borders 2016 [56]
Super Robot Wars* Super Robot Wars 1991 Super Robot Wars T 2019 [57]
Suzuka 8 Hours* Suzuka 8 Hours 1992 Suzuka 8 Hours 2 1993 [58]
Sword Art Online* Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment 2013 Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris 2020 [59]
Tales Tales of Phantasia 1995 Tales of Arise 2021 [60]
Taiko no Tatsujin Taiko no Tatsujin 2001 Taiko no Tatsujin Nijiiro Version 2020 [61]
Tank Battalion Tank Battalion 1980 Shingun~Destroy! Girl's Tank Battalion 2014 [62]
Tekken Tekken 1994 Tekken 8 2024 [63]
Thunder Ceptor Thunder Ceptor 1986 3-D Thunder Ceptor II 1986 [64]
Time Crisis Time Crisis 1995 Time Crisis 5 2015 [65]
Valkyrie Valkyrie no Bōken 1986 The Glory of Walküre II 2009 [66]
Wagan Wagan 1987 Chibikko Wagan no Ōkina Bōken 2009 [67]
Wangan Midnight* Wangan Midnight 2001 Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 6RR 2021 [68]
We Ski We Ski 2008 We Ski & Snowboard 2009 [69]
Winning Run Winning Run 1988 Winning Run '91 1991 [70]
Wonder Momo Wonder Momo 1987 Wonder Momo: Typhoon Booster 2014 [16]
World Stadium Pro Baseball: World Stadium 1988 World Stadium 5 2001 [71]
Xenosaga Xenosaga Episode I 2002 Xenosaga Episode III 2006 [72]
Xevious Xevious 1983 Xevious Resurrection 2009 [16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Corporate Data". Bandai Namco Holdings. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  2. ^ Feldman, Curt (13 December 2005). "Bandai, Namco to merge". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  3. ^ Heck, Jonathan (26 January 2017). "World of Warcraft Leads Industry With Nearly $10 Billion In Revenue". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. ^ Sato. "Tekken 7's 5 Million Units Shipped Celebrated With Artwork Update; Tekken Series Reaches 49 Million". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Top 25 Public Companies by Game Revenues". Newzoo. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Revenue of major toy companies in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)". Statista. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  7. ^ "History". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. ^ Glasser, AJ. "By The Way, Namco Bandai Owns (Most Of) D3". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  9. ^ Mitsuki, Aki (6 April 2011). "バンプレソフトとベックが統合されB.B.スタジオに。「スーパーロボット大戦」シリーズは今後もバンプレストレーベル作品として発売". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Namco Bandai Games Obtains All Platform Rights For Dragon Ball Videogames". IGN. News Corporation. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  11. ^ Remo, Chris (17 April 2008). "Ace Combat Franchise Breaches 10 Million Sales Mark". Gamasutra. United Business Media. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Ace Driver 3: Final Turn - Videogame by Namco/Bandai Games". Killer List of Videogames. International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  13. ^ Saeki, Kenji (28 March 2003). "気軽に遊べてダイナミックな滑りを楽しめる 「アルペンレーサー3」" ["Alpine Racer 3" that you can play casually and enjoy dynamic skiing]. Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2003.
  14. ^ Barder, Ollie (30 January 2007). "'Roboto-chan!': Aces High". GameSetWatch. UBM Tech Web. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  15. ^ "I Shall Give You Endless Earth: An Ar Tonelico Retrospective". USgamer. Gamer Network. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ishaan (31 March 2015). "Bandai Namco To Make Older Properties Available To Developers [Update]". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  17. ^ Tiraboschi, Federico (8 November 2015). "Bakutotsu Kijuutei: Baraduke II". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Weekly Cross Review - ファイナルブラスター" [Weekly Cross Review - Final Blaster]. Famitsu. Enterbrain. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  19. ^ Siliconera Staff (14 June 2013). "Namco Bandai Is Making A New Bravoman Game". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  20. ^ Lopes, Gonçalo (12 March 2018). "Zany Super Famicom Great Battle Series Gets Translated Into English". Nintendo Life (in Japanese). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  21. ^ Brookes, Jason, ed. (April 1995). "Prescreen: Cyber Commando". Edge. No. 19. United Kingdom: Future Publishing. pp. 48–49. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  22. ^ Makuch, Eddie (8 July 2016). "Dark Souls 3 Director Talks Franchise's Legacy, Possible Demon's Souls Remaster, More". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  23. ^ Doolan, Liam (31 May 2019). "Video: See How The Digimon Games Have Evolved Over The Past 20 Years In This Developer Diary". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  24. ^ Sato (30 July 2018). "Dragon Ball Xenoverse Series Hits 10 Million In Worldwide Shipments And Digital Sales". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  25. ^ "「ファミスタ」シリーズが今年で30周年。ファミスタナイターなどのコラボ企画実施" [The "Famista" series celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Collaboration planning such as Famistanite]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  26. ^ "Final Lap 3 - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames. International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  27. ^ Madnani, Mikhail (8 January 2019). "'Galaga Revenge' Is a New 'Galaga' Game from Bandai Namco Entertainment Taiwan That Is Available Right Now for Free on iOS and Android". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  28. ^ Osborn, Alex (7 October 2017). "God Eater 3 Officially Revealed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  29. ^ Vark, Aaron (16 August 2016). "Bubble Trouble: Golly! Ghost! 2". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  30. ^ Chihiro (2 July 2019). "ガンプラをモチーフにしたゲーム「ガンダムブレイカー」がスマホアプリ化。今夏の配信に向けて事前登録の受付も開始に" [The game "Gundam Breaker" with the motif of Gunpla is a smartphone app. Pre-registration will start accepting for distribution this summer]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  31. ^ "【新作】名作パズルゲーム『ぐんぺい』がキュートに生まれ変わってスマホに登場!" [[New] The masterpiece puzzle game "Gunpey" has been reborn cutely and appears on your smartphone!]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  32. ^ Torres, Josh (5 November 2017). ".hack//G.U. Last Recode Review". RPG Site. MIST Network. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  33. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (17 April 2017). "The Idolmaster Is Now A Live-Action Korean TV Show". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  34. ^ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (12 December 2018). "Katamari Damacy Reroll Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  35. ^ Wong, Alistair (16 March 2019). "Klonoa Director Hoping To Release Series Guidebook With Fan Support [Update]". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  36. ^ Shiga, Yasuki (12 January 2007). "バンダイナムコゲームス、GBA版との連動も! DS「ことばのパズル もじぴったんDS」" [BANDAI NAMCO Games, also linked with the GBA version! DS "Words Puzzle Mojitan DS"]. Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  37. ^ Roper, Chris (14 April 2006). "MotoGP 4 Interview". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  38. ^ Dillard, Corbie (8 April 2010). "Mr. Driller: Drill Till You Drop Review (DSiWare)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  39. ^ Siliconera Staff (8 December 2012). "With Aero-Cross Canceled, The Namco Generations Series Ends Too". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  40. ^ Jenni (3 August 2017). "Namco Museum Is Good At Providing Different Perspectives". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  41. ^ "10 Million Naruto Games Shipped". Anime News Network. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  42. ^ Brunskill, Kerry (29 December 2013). "Matters Of Import: Welcome To The Bizarre World Of Namco's Numan Athletics". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  43. ^ Ciolek, Todd (7 December 2018). "A Brief History of One Piece Video Games, Part 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  44. ^ Shea, Brian (28 June 2022). "Bandai Namco Announces Pac-Man World Remake Coming This August". Game Informer. Sunrise Publications. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  45. ^ Kietzmann, Ludwig (22 March 2006). "Namco unveils Point Blank DS". Engadget. Oath Inc. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  46. ^ Buchanan, Levi (17 January 2006). "Pole Position II". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  47. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (2 May 2016). "Interview: Learning More About The 'Ultimate Crossover' RPG, Project X Zone 2, From Its Creators". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  48. ^ Flodine, Dave (22 August 2011). "Rally-X Rumble Review". AppSpy. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  49. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (11 September 2018). "Graveyard: R4: Ridge Racer Type 4". Hardcore Gamer. DoubleJump Publishing. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  50. ^ Kalata, Kurt (12 December 2014). "Rolling Thunder 3". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  51. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (8 September 2015). "Sailor Moon Drops Smartphone Game's Ad Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  52. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (11 November 2014). "Japanese PS2 Budget Games Were an Outlet for Pure Insanity". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  53. ^ ""TGS2018"バンダイナムコエンターテインメントブースの見どころを一挙公開、『God Eater 3』や『ソウルキャリバー VI』など今後発売予定のタイトルが多数試遊出展" ["TGS2018" BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Booth Highlights Released at a Glance, A large number of upcoming titles such as "God Eater 3" and "Soul Calibur VI" will be on trial display]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 13 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  54. ^ Paprocki, Matt (21 May 2018). "Splatterhouse 2010: What went wrong". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  55. ^ Zverloff, Nick (5 December 2013). "Steel Gunner". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  56. ^ Michalik, Nathan (18 February 2016). "Summon Night 5 Review (PSP)". Push Square. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  57. ^ "「スーパーロボット大戦」シリーズ累計出荷本数1,600万本突破。第1作のHDリメイク版がPS Storeで販売開始" [Cumulative shipment of "Super Robot Wars" series exceeded 16 million. The first HD remake version is now available on the PS Store]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  58. ^ "Suzuka 8 Hours 2 – Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames. International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  59. ^ "Sword Art Online – A Video Game Retrospective". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  60. ^ Parish, Jeremy (27 March 2018). "The greatest Japanese RPG franchises, part 1". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  61. ^ Romano, Sal (15 May 2019). "Taiko no Tatsujin console game sales top 10 million, Drum 'n' Fun adds new versus mode". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  62. ^ Spencer (12 October 2011). "Battle City Getting The Namco Generations Treatment?". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  63. ^ "The 50 Best Video Game Franchises11. Tekken". Complex. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  64. ^ Brence, Corwin (8 July 2013). "Thunder Ceptor / 3-D Thunder Ceptor II". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  65. ^ McWhertor, Michael (20 October 2014). "Time Crisis is coming back to arcades". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  66. ^ Kalata, Kurt (1 January 2004). "Namco Valkyrie Series". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  67. ^ "ShiftyLook Premiers New Web-Comic Based on Namco's Retro Video Game Series, Wagan Land!". Anime News Network. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  68. ^ Hannley, Steve (30 September 2014). "Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 5 Snags Two New Trailers". Hardcore Gamer. DoubleJump Publishing. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  69. ^ DiMola, Francesca (11 October 2008). "We Ski & Snowboard Comes to Wii in March 2009". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  70. ^ "Winning Run 3". Killer List of Videogames. International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  71. ^ Miura, Tatsuki (May 2000). "Super World Stadium 2000". No. 24. Millennium Publication. Gamers' Republic. p. 87. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  72. ^ Parkin, Simon (13 September 2006). "Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.