Bandai Namco Filmworks Acquires Animation Studio 8bit as Subsidiary

Production and planning company Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on Friday that it will acquire 8bit as a wholly owned subsidiary. The Tokyo-based animation studio will become part of the Bandai Namco Filmworks group effective April 1, 2024.

8bit has confirmed the retention of its current management structure. The partnership aims to streamline decision-making in animation production and provide access to Bandai Namco Filmworks’ promotional and sales expertise. This strategic alliance empowers 8bit to prioritize anime production, leveraging the resources facilitated by the partnership.

Bandai Namco Filmworks expressed its strategic rationale for integrating 8bit into the group, aiming to foster the continued growth of flagship intellectual properties (IP) and align the animation studio’s production capabilities more closely with the core operations of the company.

In June 2020, 8bit and Bandai Namco Arts formed a strategic partnership to focus on producing animation-based content and related materials. This collaboration resulted in the creation of Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken 2nd Season (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2) and the spin-off television anime Tensura Nikki: Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken (The Slime Diaries).

At the outset of the partnership, Bandai Namco Arts aimed to enhance its capacity for generating successful content by leveraging 8bit’s advanced animation production capabilities, establishing a framework for continuous creation of new projects. Concurrently, 8bit sought to expand its operations by fostering a conducive environment for ongoing animation production and leveraging the expertise and networking resources of Bandai Namco Arts.

Source: Press Release, Nikkei