Video game company and Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has suspended downloads of its recently launched Gundam Metaverse due to rumours about the potential leak of design files for some of the much anticipated Gundam models.
The sudden suspension occurred just one week after the company made the metaverse game available to the public in the United States and Japan on October 11th.
“We are sorry that downloading the client files has been temporarily suspended,” Bandai Namco said in an announcement. “We apologize for the inconvenience. We will inform you on this website when the download will be available again.”
However, recent speculations surfaced that the downloads included design files without encryption that were associated with specific models for Gundam Seed Freedom. This animated film is set to release in January 2024, as indicated by images shared on Reddit and the Hong Kong news site HK01.
A Gundam metaverse hub
In the press release issued last month, the Japanese company stated that the Gundam Metaverse Project’s goal is to establish a hub for Gundam fans across the globe. This platform would allow them to interact with a variety of content, including user-generated materials like fan-made Gunpla, which are model kits featuring mecha machinery and characters.
“Bandai Namco Group strives to turn GUNDAM from an intellectual property (IP) into a social property and icon (SP). The aim is to work with fans and partners to create a better future through GUNDAM,” said the company.
Nevertheless, Bandai Namco didn’t provide specific details in its statement regarding the reasons for the download suspension.
