While Bandai Entertainment had a light year, they were starting to pick up when it came to acquisitions for 2012 and the recent solicitations for Star Driver and more. But as the news has come out while we were incapacitated, Bandai Entertainment will be no more come February 2012 when they exit the DVD and manga business entirely. It’s looking to be a sort-of-Geneon situation as they move to another direction, that being licensing, but it’s hard to imagine that many of those that are there at the company will remain so.
BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT TO CHANGE COMPANY FOCUS IN FEB 2012
January 3, 2012 (Cypress, CA) – Bandai Entertainment announced today that it will stop releasing new titles on DVD, Blu-ray and Manga formats starting in February of 2012. The company will continue to sell catalog titles and shift its operation to licensing which will include digital distribution, broadcast and merchandising.
As a result of this change in strategy for the North American Market, Bandai Entertainment’s organization will be restructured at the end of January 2012. The following previously announced anime titles have been cancelled: TURN-A GUNDAM, NICHIJOU and GOSICK. Similarly, the following manga titles have been cancelled: KANNAGI 4-6, CODE GEASS: RENYA, GURREN LAGANN VOL. 7, GUNDAM 00I, LUCKY STAR BOO BOO KAGABOO, NICHIJOU MANGA, CODE GEASS R2 NOVELS, and TALES OF THE ABYSS: JADE 1 and 2.
Additionally, Bandai Entertainment’s facebook and twitter will be shut down.
