Looks like charging obscene amounts of money for terrible downloadable content didn't work out so well.
Namco Bandai has recorded a massive loss of ¥11.7bn (£81.3m / $129.5m) over the nine months ending December 31, after last year recording a profit of ¥9.01 billion (£62.3m / $99.4m). Net sales are down 10.4%, and operating income is down 76.3%.
Even worse is the announcement that Namco will be firing 10% of its workforce, with estimated layoffs numbering 630. The round of firings will be part of a "Group Restart Plan" instigated by Namco Bandai to react to its slipping position.
So yeah, good times are not to be found at Namco's offices today. I'd show some sympathy, but when these guys stop trying to pass off on-disc content and in-game currency as DLC items, I'll demonstrate a little remorse.
Namco Bandai to cut 10% of workforce [GI.biz]
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Contest:
2:00 PM on 02.02.2010
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Quoting Yuri, "Niiiiice work, men." Shame about the layoffs, though. Maybe this will be the smack across the head Namco needs to be... you know... good?
And maybe Ubisoft will stop infesting Wii and DS with shovelware.
Here's a free tip to Namco Bandai: Release Tales of Vesperia On the in the US/UK PS3, and the Ps3 content on xbox 360 as dlc! (this will be a guarantee money maker).
Also, no english PS3 Vesperia makes me a saaaaad panda.
This. Fuck them.
Why haven't they released a Time Crisis game for Wii, btw?
Not to mention releasing BETAS/Cut up versions as full retail games only to release the whole game later as an "improved version" on the competing platform.
Although if the guy resposible for butchering soul calibur even further(See: still not adding back weapon master mode, screwing up the story and character creation, and replacing a lot of the individual character viewer that held useful information with a weak flow chart, and that's just the tip of the iceberg) was included in those firings he (or she) earned it.
And what animeboke said about tails of vesperia is a great idea and free money.
I hear you. I just bought Soul Calibur II and I'm having a blast with it.
I heard that they spent ludicrous amounts of money on that game too.
Fuckin Eternal Sonata...
It also sounded quite unconvincing, so that has been what has kinda sealed it for the company at the end of last year.
I'd love to see Namco do well because I love many of their franchises, so this is a bummer.
As a side note, I very much doubt that dlc accounts for more than a tenth of on percent of their profit or lack thereof.
And still, not a PS3 version in sight...:(
Best regards, Anna, CEO of datacore iscsi and i tunes