Wizard World, Inc. and Namco Bandai Entertainment America Inc. today announced an agreement by which the leading interactive entertainment publisher will become the Official Anime Entertainment Partner for the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con and Gaming Tours, bringing Namco Bandai games to fans throughout the country. As part of this designation, Namco Bandai will provide major live event experiential activations that will give event attendees the opportunity to experience some of its most anticipated video games, such as Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Dark Souls III and more.
Esports fans can view tournament competitions and gaming celebrity content via live stream, while Wizard World event attendees can meet Namco Bandai game talent, Pro-Gamers, experience gaming specific content and be a part of cosplay contests thriving in the Anime pop-culture community.
“The addition of Namco Bandai Entertainment America as the Official Anime Entertainment Partner is a huge step as we establish gaming as an important and growing part of Wizard World shows moving forward,” said John Macaluso , CEO, Wizard World, Inc. “Aligning with Namco Bandai helps in our goal of providing the best experience for the nationwide gaming community and, importantly, connects Wizard World to a valued name in the industry.”
“Namco Bandai Entertainment is the premiere anime game publisher and we’re excited to showcase our upcoming line-up of games on the 2016 Wizard World Tour. The tour presents a great opportunity for us to connect with fans and loyal consumers in major cities around the country, throughout the year,” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing at Namco Bandai Entertainment America Inc. “We look forward to interacting with passionate fans who share our enthusiasm for anime, video games and many other aspects of pop culture.”
Namco Bandai’spresence at Wizard World shows will be even greater in 10 key markets that will feature major gaming activations and an eSports tournament streaming stage ( www.wizardworldgaming.com): Portland , Ore. (Feb. 19-21); St. Louis (April 1-3); Minneapolis (May 6-8); Philadelphia (June 2-5); Sacramento, Calif. (June 17-19); Columbus, Ohio (July 29-31); Orlando , Fla. (August 5-7); Chicago (August 18-21); Austin, Texas (September 23-25); and Pittsburgh (November 4-6).
Wizard World events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, gaming, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, anime, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The 2016 Tour schedule is currently comprised of events in major cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Cleveland and others.