Joint Namco Bandai-DeNA venture to shut down

The joint mobile gaming venture established by DeNA and Namco Bandai launched in 2011 as BDNA will end on March 31.

News that the company – since rebranded as BNDeNA – is closing its doors isn’t much of a surprise, says analyst Dr. Serkan Toto.

While BNDeNA released some “solid” games in its four-year lifespan, it never generated a major hit.

Its two best received titles, Gundam Kingdom and the mouthfull of a social 3D shooter Macross SP Cross Deculture, are to be shut down in the coming weeks.

Toto also points out that the companies are heading in different directions, both strategically and financially.

Not only is Namco Bandai well enough established on the Japanese mobile market (claiming 30 million users) that it doesn’t rely on mobile specific companies like DeNA, it’s also worked closely with the Mobage operator’s direct competitor GREE, which doesn’t suggest the companies are fiercely loyal to each other.

In addition, Namco Bandai has grown 77 percent on the stock market over the past year, while DeNA shrank by 29 percent; not a trajectory that’s likely to shore up mutual interests.