Major gaming company Bandai Namco, known for its anime-themed games, has reportedly canceled or put on hold several unannounced projects, including titles based on *One Piece* and *Naruto*.
According to a new report, this decision is part of a significant shift within the company due to changing demands and cost-cutting measures across the gaming industry. The affected projects go beyond the anime world, with at least one Nintendo-related game now being delayed.
This news comes from a Bloomberg report, which explained that Bandai Namco has either fully halted or suspended certain games, citing “underwhelming demand” as the primary reason.
However, the mentioned demand seems to refer to the overall gaming landscape, not necessarily a decline in interest for *Naruto* and *One Piece* games. In fact, both franchises remain increasingly popular, making this cancellation news even more surprising.
Bandai Namco has a long history of publishing successful anime-based games, with the recent Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero being one example. Although the specifics of the canceled One Piece and *Naruto* projects are unclear, the company’s expertise in this genre raises curiosity about what could have been planned.
That said, Bandai Namco’s portfolio is not limited to anime adaptations. The publisher has also contributed to major successes like Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series, as well as collaborations on massive Nintendo franchises like Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
A larger team has been working closely with Nintendo on an undisclosed project, but this project was not explicitly mentioned in the recent report. Mobile games, another significant part of Bandai Namco’s business, have also been impacted by these changes.
As part of the ongoing restructuring, Bandai Namco is also reducing its workforce, with around 200 employees expected to lose their jobs. These layoffs reflect a broader trend in the gaming industry, which has faced a challenging year with talent losses and studio closures.
