Bandai Namco takes page from Sony to leverage intellectual property

Toymaker eyes subscription-based services as it moves on from plastic models

An 18-meter kinetic sculpture based on the “Gundam” animated series is unveiled at the opening ceremony of the Gundam Factory Yokohama complex in Yokohama on Dec. 18. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

RYOSUKE ARASAWA and TAKAKO FUJIU, Nikkei staff writers

January 3, 2021 16:00 JST

TOKYO -- Bandai Namco is leveraging Mobile Suit Gundam and other intellectual property to boost company value.

Since Bandai's 2005 merger with Namco, the company's market capitalization has topped that of America's toymakers, Hasbro and Mattel. It is now reviewing its vertical organization and moving away from reliance on external intellectual property, with the goal of becoming more like Sony, which uses its intangible assets to earn through subscription-based services.