Recently, it was discovered that Bandai Namco filed a trademark at the end of 2020 for something called “Bandai Namco Next.” This trademark filing covered products and services including amusement parks, esports competitions, movies, toys, computer networks, online publications, animated feature films, and games. It was also delisted shortly after the public first saw it. However, between the naming convention and Bandai Namco’s recent penchant for releasing teaser trailers for its larger games, there is reason to believe that Bandai Namco Next is the name of its own proprietary digital showcase series.
Thus far, Bandai Namco has made no announcements about any online presentations, nor has the company used the Next name for anything prior. Bandai did host a digital Play Anime Live event in July 2020, but after negative feedback, it appears that it isn’t keen on reusing that name. That show also took the form of a talk show with occasional trailers, while any new digital presentation is expected to hew a lot closer to the traditional Nintendo Direct format. With chances of a Bandai Namco showcase seeming high, it’s a good time to look back at other digital events to see how this one could go.
Nintendo Directs are considered the start and pinnacle of digital video game presentations. Beginning in October 2011, Directs shaped the way developers and fans approached mass news releases. Suddenly, E3 wasn’t the only way gamers could receive huge numbers of announcements all at once. While the first few Directs were underwhelming, they hit their stride a year in and have become a staple of Nintendo marketing that persists to this very day. There are over 10 different kinds of presentations all under the Nintendo Direct label, proving the format to be flexible enough for any topic’s needs. Combining trailers, commentary, developer comments, and gameplay demonstrations, Nintendo Directs have set the golden standard for digital showcases.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Sony’s State of Plays are very flattering indeed. Using a format that is almost identical to a Nintendo Direct, Sony’s State of Plays began in March 2019. These tend to feature a variety of game trailers and gameplay demonstrations with voice commentary and occasionally developer comments. Much like certain Directs, some State of Plays are largely focused on detailing one or two major releases. As these presentations are based on Nintendo’s Directs after years of evolution, the only real problem they have is with occasionally disappointing due to lacking release information or major games. In other words, they sometimes don’t hit the mark their own hype builds. Because Sony is juggling both a new console launch and hindered pandemic development right now, this is fairly understandable.
Moving away from the exact format of a Nintendo Direct, there is Xbox’s Inside Xbox series. Beginning in March 2018, these typically take the form of talk shows that can go on for over an hour long as the hosts interview a variety of guests on all things Xbox. Later Inside Xbox presentations began having a stronger focus on trailers, but the presence of various hosts and guests remained a constant. Notably, the last few major Xbox digital showcases moved away from the Inside Xbox name, and began adopting a format that is somewhere between a State of Play and a trailer-heavy E3 presentation. There has not been a major Xbox digital showcase since the launch of the new Xbox consoles, so it will be interesting to see what Xbox has in mind for its digital showcases next.
One other major publisher who consistently performed digital showcases before the pandemic was Capcom, sporting a variety of showcases, events, and developer diaries for the past few years. These were typically used for larger titles, such as Monster Hunter World and Rise, Resident Evil 8, and Street Fighter 5. While these have not been organized under one banner, they typically involve development leads conversing while dissecting gameplay and news. These are much more specialized presentations than the average digital showcase, but that allows them to deliver much richer servings of information.
The rest of the game industry has done a variety of digital showcases over the past year, including EA Play Live, the Marvel’s Avengers War Tables, Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City Wire, the Wholesome Directs, the Summer of Gaming, and even the 2020 game awards. Many of these happened because regular news events simply weren’t possible due to the pandemic, but some allowed for smaller indie titles to get a chance to shine. It remains to be seen what Bandai Namco intends to do on this front, but with a lineup including Tales of Arise, Elden Ring and its recently leaked trailer, Tekken 7’s DLC, and many licensed anime games, it could put on a great show.
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