Attention Gundam Fans, Bandai Namco to Develop ‘Gundam Metaverse’

Japanese video game and toy manufacturing company Bandai Namco is set to create its metaverse featuring the revered mechas and other characters from its forerunning franchise Mobile Suit Gundam.

The news was announced last month, with more enterprises from various industries, especially the gaming industry, shifting to digital and virtual platforms to curb the effects of the global health crisis while boosting revenues and future-proofing their businesses.

Bandai Namco will be spending ¥15 billion or $130 million for their virtual world dubbed “Mobile Suit Gundam Metaverse.” The metaverse will include games, videos, live music, and other different content that are all going to be linked with physical locations managed by the Bandai Namco Group. This includes gaming arcades and plastic model shops.

The metaverse promises to enable users, or their avatars to be precise, to enjoy concerts and communicate with each other using automatic translation. Moreover, Gunplas (Gundam plastic models), one of the company’s highest-selling products, can be bought within the metaverse, which will be delivered to users’ real homes.

Bandai Namco Group’s digital business arm, Bandai Namco Entertainment (BNE), will be handling the metaverse project, which has been promoting its business in the virtual world. Early last year, BNE partnered with avatar creation company Genies to launch the PAC-MAN NFT.

The ¥15 billion metaverse budget will also be used to build Bandai Namco’s customer database.

Meanwhile, Bandai’s “Road to Gunpla Battle” exhibition is currently ongoing in Gundam Port Yokohama until March 13. The project aims to make Gunplas move by scanning them and having them battle against other Gunplas in a virtual arena.