Bandai Namco Entertainment has joined the long list of gaming companies that are laying off employees en masse, according to Bloomberg sources. Due to the peculiarities of Japanese legislation, it has reportedly resorted to a specific practice.
Blue Protocol
As Bloomberg reports, since April, its subsidiary Bandai Namco Studios has been transferring employees to so-called oidashi beya, or "banishment rooms." Specialists placed there stop receiving work-related tasks, which affects their performance statistics. They also face constant pressure to resign on their own.
It is reported that to date, 200 out of 1,300 Bandai Namco Studios employees have been placed in "banishment rooms." About 100 people have already resigned.
According to Bloomberg, the company took this step due to declining interest in its online titles and mobile games. At the end of last year, Bandai Namco Entertainment wrote off 21 billion yen ($141 million) in development expenses. Later, it closed Tales of the Rays and the western version of Blue Protocol, and also canceled several games, including projects based on the Naruto and One Piece franchises.
A representative of Bandai Namco Entertainment denied the information about an attempt to cut staff. He explained that no one is pressuring employees; they simply need to wait for a while until new tasks become available following the cancellation of games.