Namco Bandai aims to replicate Japanese success by merging Western teams

Developer and publisher Namco Bandai Games has reportedly combined its U.S. and European operations, with the hope of replicating the success it's experiencing in Japan. The company claims that its game sales accounted for nearly a quarter of Japan's software market during the last fiscal year (ending March 31), thanks to big hits like Tales of Xillia and Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. And two months ago, it released One Piece: Pirate Warriors for PS3 in Japan, which became one of the fastest-selling and biggest-selling games for Sony's console -- the game arrives to the West later this year, with a Digital-only U.S. release. Mark Tsuji, previously president of Bandai America, will serve as CEO for the new consolidated team. The company believes that joining the U.S. and European branches allows it to have a united front to better serve Western consumers. "We wanted to unite our overseas organisation under one leadership," said Namco Bandai's VP Carlson Choi, according to MCV. "It is a continuation of our direction, where as a company the overseas business becomes even more critical." Choi adds, "Over the last year we have been beginning our transformation of the overseas business, making sure that we are not only bringing East to West content but also sub-developing and bringing content from the West that can propagate to the East." Namco Bandai's upcoming titles for the west include third-person shooter Inversion, Dragon Ball Z Kinect, Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's RPG collaboration Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and a third-person shooter set in the Star Trek universe.