Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. unveiled an ambitious three-year growth strategy Tuesday, building on momentum from a record-breaking quarter that saw operating profits surge 129% to ¥179.2 billion for the nine months ended December 2024.
The Japanese entertainment powerhouse aims to achieve ¥200 billion in operating profits by fiscal 2028, backed by a ¥600 billion investment plan – a 50% increase from current levels. The strategy announcement comes as the company raised its full-year profit forecast to ¥180 billion, up from ¥160 billion, driven by strong performance across its digital and toys businesses.
Under incoming President Yuji Asako, the company will establish several new entities, including CW360 for partnership development and Bandai Namco Filmworks America, which will oversee a live-action Gundam film production and expand licensing operations in the US market.
The reorganization into four main units – Toys and Hobby, Digital, Visual and Music, and Amusement – follows strong results in the digital segment, where profits jumped to ¥70.5 billion from ¥1.6 billion year-over-year. The toys and hobby unit also showed robust growth with profits rising 40% to ¥97.6 billion.
Responding to this performance, Bandai Namco revised its shareholder returns, implementing a minimum 3.60% dividend on equity ratio and announcing a ¥35 billion share buyback program. The company aims to boost its overseas sales ratio beyond 50%, capitalizing on strong growth in international markets where revenues increased 84% in the Americas and 37% in Europe during the recent quarter.
These initiatives align with Bandai Namco’s new vision of “Connect with Fans,” as it leverages its recent success to fuel global expansion and digital transformation while strengthening its IP portfolio.
