Bandai Namco, the prominent Japanese video game publisher, has reportedly removed 117 employees from its workforce, between April 2024 and February 2025.
This report comes from Automaton using Japan’s online pension database. While the exact nature of these departures remains unclear, they follow a series of high-profile game cancellations from the previous year.
Last year, Bloomberg reported that the company had adopted controversial workforce reduction methods typical in Japanese corporate culture. The practice, known as “Oidashi Beya,” involved placing employees in empty rooms without assigning them any work, essentially creating an environment that would prompt them to resign voluntarily rather than face direct termination.
The situation became more complex when reports surfaced about the cancellation of several major gaming projects. As per industry sources, these included games based on popular franchises like One Piece and Naruto, along with a collaborative project with Nintendo. These cancellations likely contributed to the workforce changes the company is currently experiencing.
Despite these challenges, Bandai Namco has managed to maintain some positive momentum in the market. Their latest release, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, developed in partnership with Spike Chunsoft, has shown strong performance with over 5 million sales worldwide.
