Namco primes Warhammer and Snoopy handheld games
Secrets revealed including Snoopy vs. the Red Baron for PSP
One of the world’s best known game companies thanks to classics such as Pac-Man, Namco is now focusing on the future, not relying on past hits. It’s merged with Japanese toy giant Bandai and is planning to rejuvenate its business in the US and Europe. One big focus for the company is handheld games; something it’s already showing some success at thanks to Ridge Racer on PSP and DS, as well as Pac-Man games such as the DS’ Pac'n Roll and Pac-Pix.
And there’s plenty more on the way. In an interview with US website Next Generation, Namco US’ business director Jeff Lujan revealed other titles currently in development. One major game is the UK role-playing fantasy license Warhammer, which Namco recently bought the rights to, while another is the similar Mage Knight miniature fantasy collectible brand. Both are currently in development for PSP.
Another Namco acquisition has been the Peanuts cartoon starring Charlie Brown and Snoopy. First out will be a PSP version of Snoopy vs. the Red Baron with Smart Bomb Interactive on development duties. Lujan also said Namco was looking at creating DS games based on Snoopy, while more kid-friendly DS games will be made using the Curious George license and released in conjunction with the animated movie, which is due in 2006.
