Bandai Namco trademarked Bandai Namco Next. It filed the application for the trademark on December 29, 2020, and it was published on January 22, 2021. This information was posted through the WIPO IP Portal website. The trademark has been filed with the EUIPO, who manages trademarks within the European Union. However, details about what this is exactly has not been disclosed. However, it’s come to light again following Elden Ring leaks and teases. [Thanks, Nibel!]
Information regarding Bandai Namco Next surfaced alongside the confirmation that Elden Ring would not be appearing during a possible upcoming Microsoft event. Aaron Greenberg of Microsoft clarified that the company had nothing planned “soon.” However, Greenberg did say when it comes to Microsoft, “There are always things we have in the works.”
There is an Elden Ring video appearing online. A leaked trailer found its way onto the internet, showing off-screen footage. Since then, people on Twitter have been sharing clips.
In February 2021 Bandai Namco announced it would restructure the company in some major ways. This included the merging of the gaming business with the toy and hobby business units. The Network Entertainment unit would be part of this merge. This restricting will occur on April 1, 2021.
