Namco

Lore & Background

The name Namco comes from Nakamura Manufacturing Company, derived from Namco's founder, Masaya Nakamura. In the 1960s, Nakamura Manufacturing built electro-mechanical arcade games such as the 1965 hit Periscope. It entered the video game industry after acquiring the struggling Japanese division of Atari in 1974, distributing games such as Breakout in Japan. The company renamed itself Namco in 1977 and published Gee Bee, its first original video game, a year later.

Among Namco's first major hits was the fixed shooter Galaxian in 1979, followed by Pac-Man in 1980. Namco prospered during the golden age of arcade video games in the early 1980s, releasing popular games such as Galaga, Xevious, and Pole Position. Namco entered the home market in 1984 with conversions of its arcade games for the MSX and the Nintendo Family Computer, later expanding to competing platforms. It continued to produce hit games in the 1990s, including Ridge Racer, Tekken, and Taiko no Tatsujin, but endured financial difficulties due to the struggling Japanese economy and diminishing arcade market.

In 2006, Namco merged with Bandai to form Bandai Namco Holdings. The standalone Namco brand continues to be used for video arcade and other entertainment products by the group's Bandai Namco Amusements division. Namco's video games division was merged into the subsidiary Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Reader's Guide

Namco is remembered for its unique corporate model, its importance to the industry, and its advancements in technology. The company was founded by Masaya Nakamura on June 1, 1955, in Ikegami, Tokyo. It began with two hand-cranked rocking horses installed on a department store roof. The company grew through electro-mechanical games, the acquisition of Atari Japan in 1974, and the release of iconic arcade titles like Pac-Man and Galaxian. It later expanded into home consoles and merged with Bandai in 2006.

Did You Know?

• Namco's first original video game was Gee Bee, released in 1978.
• The company's first electro-mechanical arcade game was Torpedo Launcher (1965), later titled Periscope.