Namco's New Label

Namco is one of those labels that seems to have been around forever. From Pacman, to Tekken, to Katamari Damacy, everyone has played or at least heard of all of their games. In perhaps their biggest announcement all year, Namco Bandai-Games America Inc. has unveiled a press release that they are creating a new publishing label. SURGETM is going to be a studio dedicated to creating games geared towards western gamers.
 
SURGETM is going to be its own studio and publishing label dedicated to creating "cutting-edge, genre-defining games that are targeted at satiating the appetite of western gamers. SURGE is planning on releasing games in a variety of different genres and for all the platforms. Hopefully they can create some more classics for Namco in the way of Pacman and Tekken. The first game to launch under the new label will be Afro Samurai, a game that will blend hip-hop and Japanese cultures. The game is slated for a release date of January 27th, 2009.
 
"SURGE presents a significant milestone for NAMCO BANDAI as it personifies our commitment to deliver compelling content for the discriminating player who is looking for games that are not only groundbreaking but also push the envelope," said Andrew Lelchuk, executive vice president of sales and marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America, Inc. "Through passion and innovation, SURGE will complement our portfolio of established franchises and intellectual property while positioning the company as a creative force."
 
One thing I have to wonder, as an American, is why it seems companies are forming to create games for Western Gamers now. At least speaking for America, our economy isn't exactly anything to brag about....at all...>_<. From the looks of it, Americans won't exactly be flocking to buy games anytime in the next year, so it seems that the majority of the gamers that these games will be played by are in Europe.
 
More information on SURGE, Namco Bandai, and Afro Samurai as well as other upcoming games can be found on namcobandaigames.com