Bandai Namco and Drecom invest $2.1m in new HTML5 games developer
BXD will be dedicated to free-to-play browser games based on publisher's owned IP and licences
Japanese publisher Bandai Namco has teamed up with another firm to launch a new games company that focuses on HTML5 games.
The firm's partner in this venture is Drecom, a Japanese web services firm that focuses on social gaming applications and internet marketing support. Together the two companies have formed BXD, according to a press release translated by Crunchyroll.
Between them, Bandai and Drecom have invested ¥247.5m ($2.1m) into the business, with the Japanese publisher controlling a 51% majority of the stock. The general manager of Bandai Namco's app development team, Kouji Tezuka, has been appointed as president of BXD.
The new firm will focus on developing free-to-play browser games using HTML5, with the vast majority being based on Bandai Namco properties. Examples offered show that this will include both IP owned by the publisher, such as Family Stadium or RBI Baseball as it's known in the West, and licenses with with Bandai have an ongoing partnership, such as Dragon Ball Z.
The first three titles are due for release in Spring 2018, with plans to eventually expand into publishing titles from other third parties and expanding into overseas markets.