Bandai Namco will be strengthening its mobile forces in Europe to support its Asian effort, with the creation of Bandai Namco Mobile (BNM).
Based in Barcelona, BNM will be focusing on the “development and marketing of mobile entertainment outside the Asian market,” the announcement said, before adding that the new office will “unify the overseas mobile development and marketing efforts” and allow for “more flexible and collaborative content creation and marketing activities for western audience.”
BNM will kick off in early 2020, with recruitment beginning “in the coming months.” Naoki Katashima, currently CEO of Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe and America, will also head Bandai Namco Mobile, while Tatsuya Kubota, senior director of mobile and web gaming at Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, will take over the role of COO.
Katashima commented: “Setting up a separate company for all our western mobile development and marketing allows us to react better to market tendencies and create higher quality content at a faster pace, as part of our long term vision for the business. We hope you look forward to great entertainment delivered by Bandai Namco Mobile.”
Kubota added: “The choice to settle in Barcelona was not a difficult one. The city is not only one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it’s also the hotbed for international video game development and home to the best talent the mobile industry has to offer.”
Bandai Namco has been doubling down on its European presence recently, with its new European HQ soon to open in France, following up on its commitment to develop 50 per cent of its new titles outside of Japan.
