Japanese publisher Bandai Namco recently started reducing its workforce following the cancellation of several titles due to low demand, and it is doing so using a very Japanese method.
As reported by Bloomberg, the company is attempting to reduce staff by sending workers to rooms where they are given nothing to do so as to put pressure on them and make them leave voluntarily. Since April, 200 employees have been moved to such rooms, and 100 have already resigned, with more expecting to leave the publisher in the coming months, according to people familiar with the matter who wished not to be named.
A Bandai Namco representative commented on the report, saying that their ” decisions to discontinue games are based on comprehensive assessments of the situation. Some employees may need to wait a certain amount of time before they are assigned their next project, but we do move forward with assignments as new projects emerge. There is no organization like an ‘oidashi beya’ at Bandai Namco Studios designed to pressure people to leave voluntarily”
In other news, Bandai Namco is enjoying great success with the release of Dragon Ball SPARKING! Zero, which sold 3 million units in just a single day. This is hardly surprising, considering how popular Dragon Ball continues to be and the game’s high quality. The game is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S worldwide.
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