To the displeasure of a number of its fans, Bandai Namco's logo is getting a redesign next year, which the company says will embody the its new purpose to offer 'fun for all into the future'.
In a press statement released by Bandai Namco, the publisher said, "Our current logo expresses the fusion of Bandai and Namco that was created when the two companies integrated. It will be replaced with a new logo that reflects our new Purpose."
While the company is excited about the road ahead, its fans are a little less impressed. Scrolling through social media, it's not hard to find people condemning the new marketing materials. As some fans critiqued its logo's simplified design, others have been a little more direct with their responses:
Bandai Namco is the latest victim of simplification…
Game company logos bout to look like this in the future pic.twitter.com/9IHCj7jKYi
— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) October 1, 2021
It isn't just the logo's design that people have taken issue with either. The publisher's new slogan – 'Fun for All into the Future' – came under fire as people questioned how something representing fun could look so plain. Other members of the community took issue with the publisher's word choice itself, with one fan asking whether it had been put together using predictive text.
How does the logo represent "Fun for All into the Future" when it looks so boring?
— Power Jusho (@PowerJusho_KH13) October 1, 2021
Bandai Namco said "we need to come up with a catchy new slogan!!!"
and their marketing department said "Let's start with the word 'fun' and see what predictive text comes out with!!!" pic.twitter.com/EYSiR81rFN
— Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) October 1, 2021
Whether or not people will warm to the new logo remains to be decided. However, Bandai Namco says that the logo is purposefully designed. The company talked through a number of its changes to the logo as part of its statement.
"The new logo’s speech bubble motif, “Fukidashi” in Japanese, expresses the potential of the brand to connect
with people around the world and inspire them with amazing ideas," the company says. "The speech bubble also represents Japan’s manga culture that has become so popular everywhere. The logo stands for our determination to communicate with fans worldwide, to connect with our fans, and to create entertainment unique to Bandai Namco. The magenta used as the motif color not only represents diversity, but also creates a bright and fun impression and is easy to reproduce."
Bandai Namco says that its new purpose has been developed based on internal and external surveys as well as through discussions with employees around the world. "Fundamental to our Purpose," the company explains, "is the idea of connecting and working together to create things. Bandai Namco's entertainment connects fans all over the world. By delivering fun to the people everywhere, we put smiles on their faces and help them achieve happiness. That’s why Bandai Namco exists."
While it may seem slightly unfortunate that the company has released a new logo that seems to have had the opposite effect to putting smiles on people's faces, at least there's comfort in knowing that the redesign did, in one way, bring members of its community together. It just wasn't the way Bandai Namco would have wanted.
In other related news, this weekend Bandai Namco will be showcasing some of its latest work during an exhibit at this year's Tokyo Game Show. For all the latest from the event make sure to catch up on our rundown detailing its biggest announcements so far.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.