We recently reported that Bandai Namco is to invest $130 million in an IP metaverse, with individual worlds dedicated to its most recognisable properties.
The first of these looks set to be ‘Mobile Suit Gundam Metaverse’ – named after the world-renowned manga/anime series and will include games, videos, and live music among other kinds of content.
Akin to esports platforms and fashion brands, this agnostic approach to online content is aimed at enabling fans of the 40-year-old franchise to connect with Gundam in a far closer way, as Bandai Namco’s President – Masaru Kawaguchi – explains, “[The Gundam Metaverse will be] a mechanism for us to be more deeply connected with fans… It will become possible to connect intellectual property-specific metaverses in the future.”
To further the brand’s exposure and ensure its success, Bandai Namco’s ‘Chief Gundam Officer’ (as he’s been referred to, because of his extensive expertise in producing plastic Gundam models), Koji Fujiwara, will be responsible for obtaining the manpower and resources to evangelise the metaverse.
The company has more metaverses to build around its franchise – with Gundam being its first foray into the space.
