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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Bandai Namco Online has reported a net loss of 8.201 billion yen (over 51 million dollars) in the fiscal year ending March 2024. Due to its growing negative net income, the company has become insolvent (source: GameBiz).

Bandai Namco Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Games specialized in developing and managing online games. Titles currently run by the company include Blue Protocol, IDOLiSH7, Gundam Tribe, Gundam Evolution and SD Gundam Operation. The free-to-play MMORPG Blue Protocol was the only new title to be released in the past fiscal year, and its underperformance has resulted in significant financial losses for the company (which Bandai HD has previously addressed).

This has contributed to Bandai Namco Online reporting a negative net income and total loss of 8.201 billion in fiscal year 2023. Furthermore, the company was in the red in the previous year too, reporting a net loss of 3.98 billion yen. The growing deficit margin has led to the company becoming insolvent. The graph below (by GameBiz) puts into perspective the scale of Bandai Namco Online’s losses in the past two years.

Bandai Namco Online’s yearly net income from FY2009 to FY2023 (unit: 100 million yen)

An industry professional has commented that the kind of losses we are seeing with Bandai Namco Online are likely a case of the developers inflating development costs by making, scrapping and remaking large-scale projects to improve them – which subsequent sales are not able to make up for.

On the other hand, Bandai Namco Holdings (which owns Bandai Games and Bandai Online) reported its highest net sales and net profit to date in fiscal year 2023, but this profit was propped up by its Toy and Hobby sector and Amusement sector.

Bandai Namco Online in state of insolvency due to 8.2 billion yen loss and negative net income - AUTOMATON WEST

Bandai Namco's online game subsidiary becomes insolvent after 8.2 billion loss and two-year consecutive deficit.

automaton-media.com

 

[Furball]

Incoming Blue protocol shutdown

 

[Gaiff]

Bandai Namco Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Games specialized in developing and managing online games.

 

[Spyxos]

Never heard about any of this games.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Never heard about any of this games.

I'm surprised you haven't heard about Blue Protocol considering it was present at a bunch of showcases including The Game Awards. Most of the losses stem from its failed launch in Japan, and the MMO is still pending release in the West where Amazon Games holds the publishing rights.

 

[Spyxos]

I'm surprised you haven't heard about Blue Protocol considering it was present at a bunch of showcases including The Game Awards. Most of the losses stem from its failed launch in Japan, and the MMO is still pending release in the West (Amazon Games has the publishing rights).

I most likely saw it on the showcases, but looking at the trailer. It looks like 10 other games of this type, It doesn't look like it's doing anything new or interesting.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I most likely saw it on the showcases, but looking at the trailer. It looks like 10 other games of this type, it doesn't do anything new or different.

Well it's an Anime MMORPG with high production values coming from Bandai Namco so people into Anime and MMOs were looking forward to it, but they fucked up with their content pipeline so it's lacking on end game content and it also has a rather aggressive monetization. Or at least that's what I heard.

 

[GHound]

Shame about them continuously fumbling with the game but I'd already hoped to never see the western release of Blue Protocol in the form envisioned by AGS and that pig fucker Mike Zadorojny anyway.

 

[Shut0wen]

Yet there arcades are still making money, they'll be fine