2024.06.24

Report on Bandai Namco's 2024 General Shareholders Meeting

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Bandai Namco Holdings' general shareholders' meeting was held on June 24, 2024.
This company produces a lot of content for otaku, and has an inseparable connection to Akihabara. I attended the general meeting of this company, so I'll report on it!

Report on Bandai Namco's 2023 General Shareholders Meeting: Many questions about content and IP

INDEX

I went to Bandai Namco HD's 19th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
- Scenes from the Bandai Namco Shareholders Meeting
- Bandai Namco Shareholders Meeting Report Question Time
There were a lot of questions about Idolmaster this year.

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I went to Bandai Namco HD's 19th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

Scenes from the Bandai Namco Shareholders Meeting

Hiten
Bandai Namco's general meeting will be held in late June this year as usual.
The venue, as always, was Hiten, the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Shinagawa.

This time, the post-general meeting exhibition, which had not been held for some time since the COVID-19 pandemic, has been revived.

Gundam
Pac-Man
Idolmaster
As part of their efforts towards sustainability, measures were introduced that utilize various IPs such as Gundam and Pac-Man.

Shinymas Panel
The Idolmaster Shiny Colors panels were apparently made from secondhand clothes collected for the project.

Shinymas Panel 2
Is this cross section of an otaku's worn clothing...?
Matilda
Idolmaster
There is also an art collection on display that can be received as a special treat.

attendance ticket
This year too, the attendance slip did not include an admission ticket to Hanayashiki.
I thought I didn't need it, but I feel lonely without it.

Bandai Namco Shareholders Meeting Report Question Time

The explanatory video for the business report is narrated by Soichiro Hoshi.
With the Gundam SEED movie being released the other day, this is pretty much what we expected.
It was interesting to hear titles like "ARMORED CORE Ⅵ FIRE OF RUBICON" and "Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Versus" read out.

Once the reports were finished, it was time for questions.

Based on the questions regarding the report, we will introduce those related to characters and IP based on notes.
Please note that this is not an accurate representation as we were unable to record the footage, so please watch it with the general idea of what it was like.

I'm a Sunday morning otaku. I'm worried about the sales of Super Sentai and PreCure's 20th anniversary.

→ Expanding Nichiasa is a children's IP, so it is our policy to expand it. We are also expanding it on the internet to increase opportunities for people to come into contact with the characters. As for PreCure, we are expanding it to target adults on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.

Regarding iM@S subscriptions, have you seen any positive results in terms of the IP's expansion? Also, Gakuen Idolmaster has been available on subscriptions since the beginning, have you seen any positive results?

→ Gakumasu has been available for subscription even before the service started, and the content is designed to be enjoyable for new people. The number of views has been very positive, so we would like to continue it.

I can't buy Gunpla. I think they're not coordinating with the retailer. Also, questions like this are increasing, so maybe they should revive the social gatherings.

→We are aware that it is becoming difficult to obtain products due to hoarding by individuals and businesses. We are taking various measures to prevent resale both online and in stores. We will also increase production and improve our sales methods.
When it comes to shipping, we are stockpiling products to an extent that would have been unthinkable two or three years ago.
The social gatherings we previously held were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we would like to consider holding them again in the future.

Are there any plans to port or remaster the past Idolmaster consumer games to current game consoles, as they are currently difficult to play?

→We are currently considering various options internally regarding porting of past console games. We cannot disclose the details here, but we will announce them at the appropriate time.

I would like to know if the Shinymas anime achieved its goals in terms of ticket sales and viewership ratings, and what the goals are for the second season.

→ I can't comment on indicators, but I think we've been able to expand our fan base. The decision regarding the second season was made after a comprehensive assessment.

Last year there was the Ijigen Festival, but are you considering collaborating with other IPs within your company?

→We would like to continue collaborating with various in-house IPs in the future, not just Love Live and iM@S. We would like to collaborate with both live shows and other things, so please look forward to it.

What are the aims of the Osaka Expo? Are the costs worth it?

→Gundam was the only option for the Expo's concept, which was the future, so we applied to exhibit there. There are booths named after countries and companies, but this is the first booth in the world to be named after an IP. We think it would be very meaningful to have a booth named after Gundam.
The purpose is
1. A booth that will satisfy Gundam fans
2. Helping people who are encountering it for the first time understand what Gundam is
3. It would be great if it sparked an interest in space and science and technology in children.

The construction is said to be "top-notch" and is being completed on schedule. Details of the pavilion will be released soon.

Regarding live Blu-rays. Anime and other content are available digitally, but live performances are all physical media, and if you keep up with them, you don't have anywhere to store them. Also, more and more people don't have Blu-ray players. Will live content continue to be available on physical media?

→In the future, we would like to consider selling through distribution etc. while monitoring the situation.

Why has the character design changed in the new Nijigasaki movie? Will they continue to use this character design in the future?

→We are making changes while considering various things, such as new developments and new footage. We will continue to monitor the situation and consider the matter.

The Tales series is celebrating its 30th anniversary, but are there any new titles being made?

→We want to liven up the entire IP as we approach the 30th anniversary. Please look forward to the announcement (you can imagine).

I would like to see a measure where the streaming is half price if you attend the live event in person.It's expensive to buy both.

→We appreciate your valuable feedback.

It's the 45th anniversary of Gundam, so are there plans to sell collections of past Gundam games? Also, I'd like to see a 4K remaster of Z Gundam.

→We are aware that there are such voices, and we would like to develop Gundam games while considering the matter internally.
Nesting works are being converted to 4K one after another, but I cannot give a specific schedule.

Dragon Ball is one of the pillars, but what will happen now that Akira Toriyama has passed away?

→Please rest assured that we will continue to work together with each other in the future.

TV Asahi has become Kotobukiya's largest shareholder, but will this lead to competition?

→We are also surprised. We are curious to see if this collaboration will produce a new product, and we are keeping an eye on it.
If they attack, I'll fight, and I have no intention of losing.

She is dissatisfied with the way Slemio is treated in Mercury Witch. She clearly states that she is married.

→ As the production team, we are neither confirming nor denying the allegations. The wording in the article may have caused some misunderstanding. We hope that viewers will enjoy the work in their own way.

I'd like to ask about the location test for iM@S Tours. Also, about the overseas expansion of amusement.

→ The release of iM@S Tours is scheduled for this fiscal year, so please look forward to it. As arcade laws differ from country to country, it may be difficult to expand overseas in the same way as in Japan, but we would like to actively expand our well-received titles overseas.
Additionally, the company has begun expanding Cross Store as an outlet for the group's IP not only within Japan but also overseas.

Love Live! Superstar! advertised in Harajuku and Shibuya, but the advertising costs were high and I have doubts about the effectiveness of the promotion.

→It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of promotions, but we would like to proceed while thinking about what would please our fans.

There were a lot of questions about Idolmaster this year.

I'm not sure if the stock split from 1 to 3 had an impact, but it seemed like there were more participants than last year.
Also, perhaps due to the momentum of the new brand launch, there were many questions about iM@S and the enthusiasm was palpable.
Exhibitions that hadn't been held for a while have resumed and stocks are now more affordable, so if you're a fan, why not consider attending next year?

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