Wallace & Gromit maker Aardman partners with Bandai Namco on new game franchise

British animation studio Aardman has joined forces with Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe to develop a brand new game franchise. 

Aardman is best known for its use of stop-motion clay animation, and has worked on popular movie and television properties including Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep.

The animation house, however, does have some video game pedigree, having recently served as the co-developer on World War I narrative adventure 11-11 Memories Retold -- which was published by Bandai Namco - and upcoming AR experience Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up.

Bandai, of course, is one of the biggest names in the games industry, and has worked on major franchises like Pac-Man, Dark Souls, Ace Combat, and Tekken. 

According to Aardman, the first collaboration between the two companies will be a project that "exists across multiple media," suggesting it'll stretch beyond the world of video games. 

"Interactive Entertainment is a huge growth area within the entertainment world," commented Aardman managing director, Sean Clarke.

"With new emerging technology blurring the lines of watching and playing, we are keen to develop strategic partnerships with partners such as Bandai Namco that share our vision of creating new IP that embraces this new world and cement our studio’s reputation as a multi-disciplinary creative hub."

Bandai Europe's SVP of digital, marketing, and content, Herve Hoerdt, indicated the partnership will be a "long term" commitment, describing the link up as a "perfect cultural and creative fit."