Namco Bandai’s U.S. branch is to lay off 90 of its employees, according to a report from VentureBeat.
The layoffs are due to the merging of the company’s mobile and online divisions — one part of the publisher’s restructuring efforts announced in August this year.
A sizable portion of Namco’s game development, originally in San Jose, California, has also been returned to Japan.
Carlson Choi, Namco’s vice president of marketing, said cuts were made due to a difference in the needs of the company and the skills of the available employees.
According to Choi, the game maker and publisher will take an externalized approach going forward: “We are partnering with external development studios out there because that is where the game business is going.”
He added: “Our goal is to move into digital games and broaden to different platforms. The details are being sorted out now.”
Although unfortunate, the strategy isn’t unprecedented, with publishers such as Konami and Capcom — the latter in particular — utilizing external studios to develop internal intellectual properties.
Hmm, maybe if Namco needed money so badly, they could have released some of those japanese games they hold so close to the chest. *cough* Vesparia *cough*
sucks to be them. Karma’s a bitch.
I never enjoy reading articles such as this, even if it is due to a merger and not a financial meltdown or some such. I do agree with Yuri4prez though! lol
I dunno, it just seems like Namco is making some very bad business decisions.
They should have brought over the PS3 version of Vesperia and earn some profit. Infact, they should have listened to everyone and just bring over some Tales…
hmm maybe if they brought vesperia, tales of grace F, and the new tales games from the psp and the upcoming new tales game they wouldn’t have laid of those workers.
Sad to see 90 employees let go, jobless. Hopefully they’ll get back on their feet and find another company that needs help.
Off-topic: As everyone has already said, where’s Tales of Vesperia PS3 and Tales of Graces F, Namco? Don’t forget to announce that new PS3 Tales game here, too.
I reckon the ‘Next Tales of…’ is our best (wait, sorry – only) chance of localization…
That epic 4 month online countdown is now at a month and a half to go…
December 16, 2010 is when it ends.