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Bandai Namco Loses Long-Time Producer Motohiro Okubo

Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco has lost long-time producer, Motohiro Okubo. This might deal quite a blow to the company considering he was one of its longest-serving producers and was a huge part in fostering a community, having attended his share of events like EVO and Gamescom. He has also worked on many of the company’s latest and greatest games in the views of the public.

He has clarified that he isn’t through with the gaming industry, but has left Bandai Namco to join a game company located in Shibuya. The now former producer joined the Soulcalibur parent 25 years ago, before Bandai merged with toy manufacturer Namco. His duties shifted to being its overseas mobile business division manager, establishing and furthering a presence to American and European audiences.

Bandai Namco

Okubo did express gratitude for his time at Bandai Namco and the people he’s met along the way. Read his statement (via Gematsu):

“It’s been a while, but I will leave Bandai Namco Entertainment on August 31. From tomorrow, I will be working at a game company located in Shibuya.

“25 years ago, I joined the former Namco and met various people. I am grateful to all the people I met. Especially through Soulcalibur VI, I received enormous power from players all over the world. Thank you very much. I’d like to show the various goods I received from everyone, but there are too many! Allow me to show my nine million units cushion, which I received last week from the development team of Tekken and Soulcalibur! Once again, thank you, thank you, and thank you!”

What do you think about Bandai Namco losing such a prominent figure? Tell us below!

Digimon Survive Delayed Yet Again

Digimon Survive

The year was 2018 and Bandai Namco revealed their intention of releasing Digimon Survive. Touted as a heavily story-driven strategy RPG, this game was meant to release in 2019, so why haven’t you heard of its reviews? Because it was delayed to 2020 and then 2021 when that didn’t work out.

Jump forward to now and it’s looking like fans will have to wait even longer as Digimon Survive won’t be out until 2022. Coming from Toei Animation, which deals with all anime and manga related to Digimon as well as acting as the co-owner of the IP, its latest fiscal report plastered the RPG squarely in 2022’s lap.

Bandai Namco hasn’t officially announced the game’s delay. Despite these repeated roadblocks, they haven’t seemed to have completely abandoned it, even if there’s not much we’ve learned about the game recently.

What do you think? Will Digimon Survive ever see the light of day? Tell us below!

Bandai Namco Entertainment Fun Live Announced

Bandai Namco Entertainment Fun Live

Bandai Namco has spilled the beans on its upcoming games. On Twitter, they’ve announced a set of live streams, which they label as “Bandai Namco Entertainment Fun Live.”

The set of showcases will cover a myriad of their anticipated titles including Doraemon: Story of Seasons, Little Nightmares II, Scarlet Nexus, and more. The first Bandai Namco Entertainment Fun Live event will happen Friday and then every other day.

The inclusion of Little Nightmares II is certainly going to turn peoples’ heads, it’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Six and the franchise itself since the reveal during Gamescom 2019, so even though it’s only a trailer, at least fans will get something.

What are you excited about on the list? Tell us below!

Tekken 7 Update To Add Punishment Training And Sample Combo Modes

Tekken 7

It’s undeniable that the Tekken franchise is popular, otherwise, why would there be so many of them still being released to a western audience. Even so, a common complaint that some players have is a lack of an “in-depth” tutorial or training mode. This may come to an end, though, as Bandai Namco is raring to launch a winter update for Tekken 7.

The new update, according to Avoiding The Puddle, will tack on “Punishment Training” and “Sample Combo” modes. Punishment Training will allow the player to preset moves the opponent will utilize. The player will also have a HUD to be able to learn the timings and what moves to use in defense of the selected moves.

Sample Combo is for those who are trying to learn a character’s moveset or how to play them more effectively. You can see what moves can link together to become part of a bigger assault.

This was a long-running thing for many’s wishlists when it came to Tekken. But, Katsuhiro Harada, the producer of the franchise, was always a bit against the idea of showing in-game frame data. But, this update coming later this winter will add just that to Tekken 7 alongside a slew of other additions.

Rad, Restore the Double Apocalypse This Summer

Rad

There’s a new rogue like on the horizon and it takes place in the future after not one, but two, apocalyptic events. It’s called Rad and it looks like it’s going to be a fun time in the wasteland. What makes this game really special is the team behind it. Bandai Namco and Double Fine Productions are combining their creative talents to make this game.

In Rad, you play as a teenager that has the ability to bring life to the land. It’s up to you to and your trusty bat to rejuvenate the world. As you make your way deeper into the the Fallow, your character is exposed to more and more toxins that cause mutations. On the plus side this also gives you more powers to wreak havoc on the enemies. But you become less human in the process. Rad is a rogue-like game that is procedurally generated. Meaning each adventure will be different then the last.

If you want to get in on the game early you can try to sign up for the closed beta. Rad is set to come out sometime this summer.

Raphael Joins Soulcalibur VI’s Character Roster

Another character has been added to the ever-growing roster of playable fighters in Soulcalibur VI. Now, as of September 18, we can count on the fencing styles of Raphael appearing in the title. Making his debut in Soulcalibur 2, Raphael has been in every Soulcalibur game since.

From the trailer, we’re in for a new look more resembling his earlier appearances. His fighting prowess, much like many of the other fighters, remains seemingly unchanged.

Soulcalibur VI will be released October 19 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

 

Editor’s note: article was originally scheduled to be published September 18th, but somehow got lost in the fray. Better late than never, right?