Bandai Namco cancels development of “at least” five games

Bandai Namco has revealed it cancelled development of “at least” five projects following a review to implement “stricter standards” and an “emphasis on quality” in its upcoming games.

The information comes from the company’s latest financial report for Q3 of FY2024, which contained changes to its projections of profits and sales for the full fiscal year.

The Tekken 8 and Elden Ring publisher lowered its projections for profits due to “valuation losses”. These losses include “loss on disposal of titles following a review of the composition of the titles within the next mid-term plan in mind”, the company stated in its report.

In a follow-up Q&A session, a Bandai Namco spokesperson confirmed “at least five other titles under development” had been cancelled alongside the decision to end support for “online games and other products subject to this disposal” (via VGC).

Bandai Namco revealed it has implemented “stricter standards for proceeding with development”, and said it is looking to build an “optimal and well-balanced title portfolio” in the upcoming years, “with an emphasis on quality”. This could include “strategic worldwide titles and casual titles for light users,” the company added, as it seeks ways to “optimise” releases amid longer development cycles.

We’re eagerly awaiting the release date of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which developer FromSoftware is “currently working hard on”. An Elden Ring mobile game is reportedly in development at Tencent, though progress is said to be slow.