Also Bandai Namcothe Japanese video game giant, is ready to enter the metaverse. This means that in the near future the characters of Dark Souls, Dragon Ball Z and Elden Ring will collide in virtual reality, allowing fans of the sector to interact through a shared interface. In fact, in these days, the company has declared that will invest a whopping 130 million dollars in the project “IP Metaverse“. A novelty that we can’t wait to see realized.
Bandai Namco in the metaverse
The announcement of the Bandai Namco metaverse project came last week, as part of a work plan that runs from April 2022 to March 2025. During this time frame, the company will work on what it has called the “strategy of ‘IP axis “. A project that consists of connecting fans with each other and increasing the value of its intellectual properties. More specifically, the idea is to create a metaverse for each of its IPs. This will then be part of an interconnected universe called “ALL BANDAI NAMCO concept“.
“We envision virtual spaces that will allow customers to enjoy a broad entertainment offering on an IP axis, as well as facilities that leverage Bandai Namco’s distinctive strengths to blend physical products and locations with digital elements.” So the company announced. And while this hasn’t yet pinpointed a specific IP for the metaverse, Bandai Namco has a wide range of potential candidates. Between these, Dark Souls, From hand RingDark Pictures Anthology, Soul Calibur, Pac-Man and other arcade classics. As well as a series of licensed manga and anime games. It is clear, then, that the company’s project aims to be a “new context for connecting with fans”, as well as wanting to “maximize the value of the IP in the medium and long term”.
In this regard, it is worth noting that the company holds the video game publishing license for many non-video game IPs, but it appears that it does not own the IPs themselves. But this is not the only uncertain detail of the project. It is not yet certain that any of these licenses extend beyond the specific games released by the company. Or whether the development of the IP Metaverse falls into the category of a video game. In any case, until Bandai Namco releases specific details about it, it will be very difficult to understand what the project really consists of. What we can guess, in fact, is that it will be necessary to resort to legal agreements for non-proprietary IP. Only then, in fact, will it be possible to achieve the universe “All Bandai Namco Concept“.