Bandai Namco Holdings

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Bandai Namco Holdings
The logo for Bandai Namco Entertainment as of 2022
Founded Bandai: July 5, 1950
Namco: June 1, 1955
Bandai Namco Entertainment: March 31, 2006
First Super Mario game Donkey Konga
Latest Super Mario game Mario Kart Tour
Current president Nao Udagawa

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (formerly capitalized as BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.), previously called Namco Bandai Games Inc. (capitalized as NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.) and Bandai Namco Games Inc. (capitalized as BANDAI NAMCO Games Inc.), is a publisher that was created when Bandai's video game division was merged into Namco in 2006. On April 1, 2015, the company changed its name to Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and on April 1, 2018, its arcade division became part of Bandai Namco Amusement Inc. (formerly capitalized as BANDAI NAMCO Amusement Inc.).[1] As a subsidiary of the entertainment conglomerate Bandai Namco Holdings, Bandai Namco Entertainment is in charge of managing, publishing, and marketing content, while Bandai Namco Studios serves as the company's main game development studio. They have developed several Mario games for Nintendo in the past. Bandai Namco Entertainment has created several successful franchises, including Tekken, Pac-Man, Galaxian, Ace Combat, and Tales.

The first Mario game developed by Namco was Mario Superstar Baseball for the Nintendo GameCube. After it became Bandai Namco, it later developed the game's follow-up for the Wii, Mario Super Sluggers. The company produced an arcade crossover Mario Kart, which came to be known as Mario Kart Arcade GP, as well as three sequels, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, and Mario Kart Arcade GP VR. These arcade Mario Kart games have featured playable appearances of Pac-Man characters, as well as the Tamagotchi Mametchi and Don-chan from the Taiko no Tatsujin series. In addition, it also worked with Capcom to sell Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher.[2][3] The company also assisted in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart Tour's development, the former of which features a Mii Racing Suit based on Pac-Man. They are the primary developers for Mario Sports Superstars, with Camelot Software Planning co-developing for the tennis and golf segments of the game. Bandai Namco ended tech support for Korokoro Catcher on April 1, 2013,[4] then ended support for its first two Arcade GP games in June 2015.[5]

Bandai Namco co-developed Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with Sora Ltd. Their own character, Pac-Man, is featured as a playable fighter in those games, with various Namco characters appearing in one of his taunts, and the ghosts Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde appearing as an Assist Trophy. Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series and Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia are the basis for downloadable costumes for Mii Fighters. Additionally, the Tekken character Kazuya Mishima is playable in Super Smash Bros. Utimate as DLC.

Bandai Namco Holdings owns Banpresto, the publisher of the Japan-only arcade games Mario Undōkai, Būbū Mario, and Super Mario Attack, as well as Tamashii Nations, producers of S.H. Figuarts.

Super Mario games

Title Year released Console
Donkey Konga 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Konga 2 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Konga 3 JP 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Superstar Baseball 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2005 Arcade
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 2007 Arcade
Mario Super Sluggers 2008 Wii
Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher 2009 Arcade
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX 2013 Arcade
Mario Kart 8 2014 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 2014 Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 2014 Wii U
Mario Sports Superstars 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR 2017 Arcade
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 2018 Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Tour 2019 Mobile

Super Mario toys

Super Mario Land finger puppets

Template:More images A set of ten finger puppets produced by Bandai in 1989.

Super Mario trading cards

Super Mario RPG 1996 Bandai trading cards

Gallery

External links

References