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Recent data from Japan’s Pension Service database reveals that Bandai Namco Studios, the developer behind popular titles like Tekken 8 and Scarlet Nexus, has experienced a notable decrease in its workforce. Between April 2024 and February 2025, the company’s employee count has dropped by 117 staff members, falling from 1,294 to 1,177 employees.
This development follows earlier reports from Bloomberg regarding the company’s workforce reduction strategies. According to those reports, the studio had allegedly employed the controversial Japanese corporate practice known as “Oidashi Beya,” where employees are isolated in rooms without work assignments, potentially encouraging voluntary departures rather than formal dismissals.
The current reduction in staff numbers, while confirmed through pension records, doesn’t specify whether the departures were voluntary or involuntary. This comes at a time when the company has reportedly scaled back production on several projects, including games featuring major properties like One Piece and Naruto, as well as a collaborative project with Nintendo.
Despite these organizational changes, the studio has maintained some commercial success, with their recent release Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero achieving significant sales figures, reaching 5 million units sold worldwide since its launch.
The shift in employee numbers at Bandai Namco Studios represents approximately 9% of their workforce over this ten-month period, marking a significant change for the veteran game developer.
