
TOKYO -- Japanese video game and toy company Bandai Namco Holdings is spending 15 billion yen ($130 million) to develop a "metaverse" featuring fearsome battle robots and other characters from its flagship Gundam franchise.
The move, announced in February, comes as businesses ranging from tech giants to automakers increasingly turn to virtual platforms to boost revenue, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic fired up demand for people to connect remotely.