Developers are taking another shot at a One Punch Man game, but this one is very different than the last major attempt. Anime service Crunchyroll has announced One Punch Man: World, an online multiplayer action title headed to Android, iOS and PC. The free-to-play game has you and friends joining the Hero Association to fight a growing wave of villains through missions and raids. You can unlock and play as heroes from the TV show's first season, including Saitama's faithful sidekick Genos, Mumen Rider and Puri-Puri Prisoner. You can relive key moments from the show, too.

At the Game Awards, Amazon Games announced it will be publishing Bandai Namco's forthcoming free-to-play online RPG, Blue Protocol in the west. It's an action RPG, with the ability to play both solo and cooperatively. You'll apparently be able to participate in raids with up to 30 other players. While the game will be coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, Blue Protocol is designed to be played on controllers, with aim-assist support for people not using a mouse and keyboard. In fact, each class will have different sliders to adjust controls for smoother playstyles. Talking of style, you'll apparently be able to customize your character deeply, across hairstyles, clothing accessories and even mounts – yes you'll have your own fantasy steed a little like Pokemon Legends Arceus.

With the popularity of video games, concerts devoted to the music of franchises like Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed are a frequent occurrence at music venues worldwide. However, you rarely see two jazz legends reinterpret your favorite gaming tracks. That's what makes the event Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco announced today so intriguing. On December 3rd, former Duke Ellington Orchestra member Kenny Garrett will join trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, best known for his album Rising Son, to play two shows at The Bourbon Room in Holywood. With the official score featuring 67 tracks, Kuroda and Garrett have a lot of material they could reinterpret.

Bandai Namco is developing a live-action Pac-Man film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Japanese publisher has reportedly tapped Wayfarer Studios, best known for its work on 2019's Five Feet Apart, to produce the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was pitched by Sonic the Hedgehog producer Chuck Williams. The movie does not have a release date yet and Bandai Namco could decide not to move forward with the project. That said, the involvement of Williams says a lot about the company's aspirations.

Don't look now but a new Nintendo remaster could be on the way. A job posting on Bandai Namco's website has listings for a planner and two visual artist positions, one of which entails performing "HD remastering of the 3D background." The listing was first identified by Resetera. "As a visual artist for a 3D action game project on a Nintendo contract, you will be asked to do image sketching and 3D background production work for design consideration," a translated description of one of the job listings says. Bandai Namco is the development studio behind many critically acclaimed Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, New Pokemon Snap, and Mario Kart 8.

Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. Thirty hours into the game, I've already explored ruins, spelunked caverns, raided catacombs, stormed castles, slayed a dragon, and looted countless corpses--but I still barely know why.

Toymaker Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. recently launched a project to recycle throwaway plastic parts from its model kits based on the sci-fi animation series "Mobile Suit Gundam" as part of its sustainability effort. Under the project that started on April 1, the Tokyo-based entertainment firm has asked fans to deposit the plastic frame sections usually discarded after assembling the models at about 190 collection points across the nation at model shops and at Bandai Namco-run arcades. The company plans to reuse the plastic waste for making plastic products, including Gundam models, as well as for thermal power generation. The Gundam model kits, known as "Gunpla," a portmanteau term combining "Gundam" and "plastic," have been a hit product, with cumulative sales topping 700 million sets globally as of March this year. Although overseas markets have accounted for about half of sales of the models featuring Gundam robots and their armor in recent years, Bandai Namco said it currently does not plan to set up collection sites overseas for recycling. The company operates Gunpla shops in South Korea, China and Taiwan.

You won't have to visit Japan to see a life-size Gundam statue in the months ahead, although you may still have to book a lengthy trip. Our Engadget Chinese colleagues report that Bandai Namco will debut an 18-meter (about 59ft) Freedom Gundam statue at the LaLaport Mall in Jinqiao, Shanghai, China sometime in 2021. It's the first large Gundam robot statue to be built outside of Japan, Bandai Namco said. It's unclear if this robot will have any movement like the recent Yokohama statue, but it won't be surprising if that's the case. These statues have been cultural draws for years in Japan, and movement (however limited) might draw more people. The pandemic complicates matters -- it's unclear how many people will want to venture outside to see a robot statue in 2021.

Just a month after Bandai Namco revealed a release date for the much anticipated RPG Code Vein, the company says it's now delaying the launch until next year. Originally expected to drop this September, Code Vein is a Dark Souls -meets-anime mash-up that's created a lot of excitement since its announcement in 2017, which according to Namco is the reason for its postponement. In a release, the company's vice president of marketing and digital Hervé Hoerdt said they made the decision in order to "further refine its gameplay in an effort to exceed the expectations fans already have of the title." Whether this is to preserve the ultimate big reveal, or is indicative of problems deeper than gameplay design, is unclear. However, the launch change does mean the game will no longer have to compete with the likes of Spiderman, Tomb Raider and Destiny 2, which all have games slated for release on September 28.

Pac-Man might never have left the public eye, but with Wreck-it Ralph, Pixels and Ready Player One, the iconic elder statesman of gaming is now in front of people that may have never touched an arcade joystick. To that extent, Pac-Man's latest'game' makes sense -- it's arriving on Amazon's Alexa as a skill today. Pac-Man Stories is more bed-time tale than arcade throwback, and will encompass several stories aimed at the family. 'Pac-Man and the Ghastly Garbage' is the first title, and as Lee Kirton, Chief Pac-Man Officer (real title), explained to me, it's a "choose your own adventure" kind of experience. It'll combine moral decisions, interactions with characters and lightweight, kid-friendly puzzles.