Namco Bandai Forms Joint Venture With Social Gaming Giant DeNA

Namco Bandai has announced a new joint venture with Japanese social gaming giant DeNA that will see the two companies release a number of social games to smartphone gamers worldwide. The new company will be known as BDNA Inc, and will begin operating on October 1, 2011. An official statement from the companies states that the venture will "broaden their existing relationship." The joint venture will look to combine Namco Bandai's video game development know-how with DeNA's knowledge of the social games market, to create quality titles for mobile. BDNA will be led by Shin Unozawa, executive vice president at Namco Bandai, while the board of directors will be comprised of the likes of Hirotaka Reizei, division manager of the production division at Namco Bandai, and Isao Moriyasu, president and representative director of DeNA. Namco Bandai revealed earlier this month that it saw improved profits for the three-month period ending June 30, thanks in part to increased worldwide game sales and revenues. DeNA has also seen growth this month, announcing plans to establish a new studio in Singapore, as a means of expanding its operations in Asia.