Namco Bandai to Release New Pac-Man Game, Anniversary Edition
2010 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Namco Bandai developed and quite popular if I may say so Pac-Man game, and it seems that the best way the company has decided to celebrate this joyous occasion is by coming up with a new Pac-Man game. The new release is currently being developed at Namco Bandai’s US studios under the watchful eye of Hirokazu Yasuhara – former Sonic Team co-creator and level designer and Naughty Dog designer.
“We are in the midst of making Pac-Man come back because his 30th anniversary is in 2010 actually," said Iwai. "As a group, we feel like we should do something to make him come back. So, there's one project that we started working on, and [Yasuhara is] part of it,” explained Namco Bandai Games America EVP and COO, Makoto Iwai in an interview for Gamasutra.
According to Makoto Iwai, this would be a dream project for Hirokazu Yasuhara, and even though the staff at Namco Bandai Games America has been focusing on Afro Samurai, somehow they managed to split the team up and thus accommodate the work force needs for the new Pac-Man game.
Taking a look back in time, Pac-Man enthusiasts will undoubtedly remember that back in 2007 Pac-Man Championship Edition, which was developed by Toru Iwatani, the developer of the original Pac-Man, managed to put a spin on the classic Pac-Man game ad turn it into a fast-paced, addictive pastime. With Pac-Man being such a gaming icon (did not make it to the Guinness Top 50 Games of All Time though), it would be nice to see this 30th anniversary edition further improve on a classic design, especially since in-depth details on the game have not been provided by Namco Bandai or Hirokazu Yasuhara.
We can only wish Namco Bandai and Pac-Man an early “Happy Birthday” and we’ll be waiting to see what they come up with next year.
“We are in the midst of making Pac-Man come back because his 30th anniversary is in 2010 actually," said Iwai. "As a group, we feel like we should do something to make him come back. So, there's one project that we started working on, and [Yasuhara is] part of it,” explained Namco Bandai Games America EVP and COO, Makoto Iwai in an interview for Gamasutra.
According to Makoto Iwai, this would be a dream project for Hirokazu Yasuhara, and even though the staff at Namco Bandai Games America has been focusing on Afro Samurai, somehow they managed to split the team up and thus accommodate the work force needs for the new Pac-Man game.
Taking a look back in time, Pac-Man enthusiasts will undoubtedly remember that back in 2007 Pac-Man Championship Edition, which was developed by Toru Iwatani, the developer of the original Pac-Man, managed to put a spin on the classic Pac-Man game ad turn it into a fast-paced, addictive pastime. With Pac-Man being such a gaming icon (did not make it to the Guinness Top 50 Games of All Time though), it would be nice to see this 30th anniversary edition further improve on a classic design, especially since in-depth details on the game have not been provided by Namco Bandai or Hirokazu Yasuhara.
We can only wish Namco Bandai and Pac-Man an early “Happy Birthday” and we’ll be waiting to see what they come up with next year.
