Whenever a company reveals a new logo, it's common practice to then hate on that new logo until everyone gets tired and moves onto something else. The latest victim of this fruitless cycle is Bandai Namco, a games publisher that has had the same red/orange/yellow blob of a logo since the two entities merged in 2005. Now, the company is finally refreshing its corporate identity with a new image.

Here's the logo we all know:

Bandai Namco Current Logo
Image: Bandai Namco

And, beginning in April 2022, this is the logo we'll all have to get used to:

Bandai Namco New Logo
Image: Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco explains the change in a press release, detailing the reasoning behind the logo and its new corporate purpose. With the slogan "Fun for All into the Future", the publisher's purpose is this: "Bandai Namco exists to share dreams, fun and inspiration with people around the world. Connecting people and societies in the enjoyment of uniquely entertaining products and services, we’re working to create a brighter future for everyone."

The logo it's used for over a decade "expresses the fusion of Bandai and Namco", but the new one will represent this new purpose:

"The new logo’s speech bubble motif, “Fukidashi” in Japanese, expresses the potential of the brand to connect with people around the world and inspire them with amazing ideas. The speech bubble also represents Japan’s manga culture that has become so popular everywhere. The logo stands for our determination to communicate with fans worldwide, to connect with our fans, and to create entertainment unique to Bandai Namco."

Predictably, this new logo is highly disliked. It's a big change from what we're used to, but it seems the biggest gripe is that it's nowhere near as fun, or interesting to look at. With this logo, Bandai Namco could be an online bank, or a broadband provider. Oh well.

We're not too worried about all this — again, this will become the norm soon enough and we'll never talk about Bamco's logo beyond this moment — but what do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source bandainamco.co.jp, via nintendolife.com]