Bandai Namco Hints at Revivals of Many Classic Games

Bandai Namco Hints at Revivals of Many Classic Games

• Bandai Namco hints at reviving classic titles like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Splatterhouse, following SEGA’s lead.
• Rising game development costs prompted Bandai Namco to cancel projects, focusing on quality. Future plans could involve remakes and new games.
• New trademarks for Namco arcade games raise speculation on potential revivals, with many already available on current-gen platforms.

New trademarks from Bandai Namco hint at potential revivals for classic titles such as Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Splatterhouse. Bandai Namco may be taking cues from some of SEGA’s upcoming reboots and remakes, as both companies have been renewing trademarks for a slew of classic IPs.

Bandai Namco recently canceled five games that were in development, with the company looking to restructure its internal process for evaluating games. The rising cost of game development is cited by Bandai Namco as one of the main reasons for the cancelation of these games. In addition, Bandai Namco wants to improve the overall quality of its releases, after Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections and Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash drew criticism and mixed reactions from players. The emphasis on quality is evident in the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero game, which is garnering attention and excitement from Dragon Ball fans around the world with each new reveal and trailer. The company’s future plans might also involve remasters, remakes, and all-new games based on classic titles from the 1980s and 1990s.

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Twitter user and video game researcher Kurakasis found more than 20 new trademarks for classic Bandai Namco titles on Chizai-Watch, a Japanese trademark search website. These trademarks include Namco History, Splatterhouse, Summon Night, Ms. Pac-Man, and many more classic Namco arcade titles that Bandai Namco could potentially revisit in the future. All of them were registered in the video games category, while some were also filed for merchandising, such as toys and clothes. Although the new trademarks were likely just upkeep on Bandai Namco’s part, the possibility of revivals for these classic games remains.

Bandai Namco Trademarks for Possible Classic Game Revivals

1. Namco History
2. Splatterhouse
3. Summon Night
4. Marvel Land
5. Phelios
6. Ms. Pac-Man
7. Warp & Warp
8. Treasure Cruise
9. Tank Force
10. Navarone
11. Burning Force
12. Cutie Q
13. Galaga
14. Pole Position
15. Rally-X
16. Mappy-Land
17. Tank Battalion
18. Hero Senki
19. Mirai Ninja
20. Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazo
21. Whirlo
22. Ring King
23. Bakutotsu Kijtei: Baraduke II

Some of the new trademarks apply to arcade games that were exclusively released in Japan, such as 1979’s Cutie Q and 1988’s Mirai Ninja. A number of titles, including Galaga and Burning Force, are already available on current-gen platforms thanks to Hamster Corporation’s Arcade Archives series of ports. These classic games are also available on PC, allowing players to use a variety of controllers that are ideal for retro gaming.

Bandai Namco could follow a similar business model to SEGA and invest in its catalog of IPs, but the company will more than likely focus on its restructuring of internal development processes. In addition, From Software’s new Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree expansion looks to be a major release for Bandai Namco’s next fiscal year, which starts on April 1. The expansion could help influence Bandai Namco’s future release plans since it’s projected to be very profitable.