Bandai Namco's new speech bubble logo represents Japan's manga culture

Bandai Namco has inflicted a new company logo upon the world.

Here's the logo the company behind Tekken, Gundam and Pac-Man has now:

And here's the new logo, set to come into effect from April 2022.

That's not all. There's a new company "purpose", with an associated slogan: "Fun for All into the Future."

No, I'm not sure what that means either.

The logo is already the butt of many an internet joke. But what's the thinking behind it? Bandai Namco explains in a statement to press:

"Our current logo expresses the fusion of Bandai and Namco that was created when the two companies integrated. It will be replaced with a new logo that reflects our new Purpose. All companies with 'Bandai Namco' in their names will use this logo. And, in principle, companies with and without 'Bandai Namco' in their names will display this new Group logo on all their products and services. This will enable us to bring together the value of all our products, services, and labels under one logo and elevate the brand value of the Bandai Namco Group in the global market."

There's also an explanation for the speech bubble design of the new logo, and its choice of colour.

"The new logo's speech bubble motif, 'Fukidashi' in Japanese, expresses the potential of the brand to connect with people around the world and inspire them with amazing ideas. The speech bubble also represents Japan's manga culture that has become so popular everywhere.

"The logo stands for our determination to communicate with fans worldwide, to connect with our fans, and to create entertainment unique to Bandai Namco. The magenta used as the motif colour not only represents diversity, but also creates a bright and fun impression and is easy to reproduce."

It's just a company logo, at the end of the day. And it's just a company slogan. But this is the internet! So... what do you think?