Bandai Namco Studios, the development arm of publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment, has announced a net profit of approximately $9.68 million USD for the fiscal year concluding March 31, 2026. As noted by GameBiz, this marks a positive turnaround following two consecutive years of financial losses for the company.
Recent ventures from Bandai Namco Studios encompass Nintendo’s Kirby Air Riders and Mario Kart World, alongside their internal project, CODE VEIN II.
The studio had maintained profitability for every fiscal period since its establishment until 2024. The substantial losses recorded that year, totaling around $27 million, were largely due to the underperformance of Blue Protocol and other abandoned projects. The ambitious MMORPG failed to align with Bandai Namco’s targets and was consequently shut down prematurely in Japan and scrapped in Western markets, leading to a significant financial write-off. Bandai Namco Studios collaborated with Bandai Namco Online on Blue Protocol, a partnership that ended with the latter being disbanded and integrated into Bandai Namco Studios in the aftermath of the project’s failure.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Bandai Namco Studios managed to reduce its deficit from the previous year to $5.8 million USD, though it still operated at a loss. The latest figures indicate that the company has now fully regained its profitable standing.
Related: Blue Protocol developers discuss the reasons behind the MMORPG’s failure
Kirby Air Riders seems to leverage Bandai Namco Studio’s new proprietary engine, SOL-AVES