Bandai Namco is accused of using "expulsion rooms" to goad employees into leaving the company, sending the internet into a frenzy. This accusation is tied to the recent video game flops that the company recently launched such as Tales of the Rays and Blue Protocol.
According to Bloomberg, 200 Bandai Namco employees were sent to exclusion rooms, and almost 100 of them have already resigned. Employees sent to these rooms receive no work-related tasks and this practice aims to wear down the mental health of the employees involved to slowly force them into resignation.
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However, the anime and gaming communities have separate opinions about this practice. Many anime and gaming fans positively consider the expulsion rooms as opportunities to do something else while racking up monthly salaries, while others consider this practice dehumanizing as it affects employee morale and mental health. Regardless, Bandai Namco has denied these rooms but mentioned that some employees will have to wait for a certain period before being assigned new projects.
With news about these expulsion rooms becoming widely known in the gaming community, many gamers are reminded of what Konami did to Hideo Kojima months before the completion of Metal Gear Solid V. In a 2016 interview with Glixel, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley shared that Konami locked Kojima in a separate room and floor, far from his team, to finish the game.
Bandai Namco has also indefinitely paused development for several video game anime titles such as Naruto and One Piece. Development for a Nintendo video game title from the company has also been either canceled or paused.
While Japan has a robust set of labor laws, sending employees into a "time-out" room like a toddler seems to be over the top but it allows employees to look for new jobs while still being paid.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with this practice, be sure to stay updated with the latest gaming community news and stories by following Gfinity Esports.
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