Bandai Namco Launches NAMCO LEGENDARY 2026 Project With Five Anniversary Titles
The project bundles five anniversary titles into a single brand push, signaling Bandai Namco's strategy to treat its retro catalog as a sustained product line rather than one-off re-releases.
Reporting from 3 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on June 1 the launch of the NAMCO LEGENDARY 2026 project, an initiative to develop content from classic Namco games. The project centers on five titles marking anniversaries this year: Galaga (45th), The Adventure of Valkyrie, Genpei Tōma Den, and Family Stadium (all 40th), and Time Crisis (30th). Alongside game releases, the project includes a pop-up shop called Namco Game Selection Summer Market at Hakuhinkan TOY PARK in Ginza, Tokyo, running from July 11 to August 6, featuring goods from Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Mappy, and others. A demo version of the 3D puzzle game Namco Legendary Mountains, developed by B-Side, is available on Steam for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and Mac. A plug-and-play gun controller from Tassei Denki, which includes Time Crisis, Gun Bullet, Steel Gunner, and Steel Gunner 2, is also on sale. Additional merchandise includes the second wave of Classic Game Blankets from KADOKAWA Game Linkage, featuring designs from The Adventure of Valkyrie and Mappy, releasing September 16 at 3,300 yen each, as well as Galaga pins and family cassette cases. The project aims to make Namco titles more accessible to both longtime fans and new generations.
The NAMCO LEGENDARY brand, which Bandai Namco describes as a way to carry forward classic Namco games into the modern era, launched its 2026 iteration on June 1. The five anniversary titles are Galaga (45th), The Adventure of Valkyrie, Genpei Tōma Den, and Family Stadium (all 40th), and Time Crisis (30th). The project aims to make these games accessible to both longtime fans and new generations.
B-Side developed the 3D puzzle game Namco Legendary Mountains, which transforms 1980s dot art from games like Pac-Man, Xevious, and Galaga into modern voxel graphics. Its appeal lies in throwing and stacking capsules and strategic chain reactions, with over 100 types of voxels to collect. A demo version is available on Steam.
Tassei Denki's plug-and-play gun controller uses independently developed high-resolution AI camera technology to work on any display. Alongside Time Crisis, it includes arcade versions of Gun Bullet, Steel Gunner, and Steel Gunner 2.
Hamster Corporation is offering 96 Namco titles on its Arcade Archives series, including Galaga, Vs. Valkyrie no Bōken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu, and Genpei Tōma Den.
The second wave of Classic Game Blankets from KADOKAWA Game Linkage features designs from The Adventure of Valkyrie and Mappy. Each blanket is priced at 3,300 yen and comes with an A5-size 16-page booklet compiling cartridge images of Namcot home game software. They release September 16.
Spider Webs released Galaga pins with a 3D-sculpted logo and family cassette cases that function as card holders. New T-shirt designs for titles that won at Arcade Archives Awards 2025 (Ridge Racer, Outfoxies, and Märchen Maze) will be added on June 5.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.