'Gacha Company' Bandai Namco
New Employee Entrance Ceremony Random Draw Event Gains Attention
Gacha Tourism Products Emerge Amid Increase in Visitors to Japan
The entrance ceremony for new employees at Bandai Namco, a Japanese company that sells capsule toy vending machines called 'Gacha,' has become a hot topic. True to being Japan's top Gacha company, they welcomed new employees by setting up 100 Gacha vending machines and even conducted the president's 'one word' speech through a random draw, making the event cheerful and engaging. This is interpreted as a reflection of Bandai Namco's bright atmosphere, which has been boosted by the recent increase in tourists visiting Japan, leading to a surge in sales.
On the 1st of this month, the Bandai Namco Group actively utilized their flagship product, the Gacha machine, at the new employee entrance ceremony. The 'Welcome Gacha' event was the first of its kind at Bandai Namco, planned with the insight that Gacha is popular among Generation Z new employees. The term 'Gacha' comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia for the 'clack-clack' sound made when inserting a coin and turning the lever on the machine.
New employees are drawing gacha keyrings featuring the mottos of their seniors. (Photo by Bandai Namco)
Bandai Namco set up a 'Gacha Flower Path' lined with over 100 vending machines containing congratulatory messages from the presidents of each affiliate company. At the end, they placed a giant 2-meter vending machine belonging to Masaru Kawaguchi, CEO of Bandai Namco Holdings. CEO Kawaguchi put several mottos reflecting his business philosophy inside capsules and communicated with new employees by sharing stories related to the mottos drawn from the capsules.
In his encouragement speech, he said, "It is important to have persistence when working in the entertainment industry," adding, "Bandai Namco values talents who share the same spirit but have different abilities. I hope you work with your own convictions that you absolutely will not compromise."
Masaru Kawaguchi, CEO of Bandai Namco Holdings, is sharing a story related to his motto that came out through a gacha. (Photo by Bandai Namco)
After the entrance ceremony, 52 vending machines were placed at the exit, allowing new employees to draw acrylic keyrings featuring the work mottos of their seniors. The mottos, such as "Create joyful memories for someone," "Let's surprise the world with 'Ah!'", and "Good ideas have no regard for years of service or job type," were intended to help new employees naturally learn about their seniors' work attitudes and values.
Bandai Namco's recent entrance ceremony attracted attention from foreign media such as Bloomberg, coinciding with their business expansion plan to open 80 new stores overseas. Since the pandemic, as tourists have flocked to Japan, Gacha has started to be recognized as a tourist product, making Bandai Namco the biggest beneficiary. The company announced plans to increase the number of overseas capsule toy stores by more than 80, mainly in the United States, by March 2025. If expanded, Bandai's overseas stores will total 130, about 2.6 times the current number.
Gacha vending machines prepared to welcome new employees at Bandai Namco. They were made by including encouraging messages from the presidents of each affiliate company. (Photo by Bandai Namco)
Bloomberg explained, "Gacha vending machines can be seen everywhere in Japan, installed not only in arcades but also in shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, and train stations," adding, "Tourists who experience Gacha will become potential customers even after returning to their home countries."
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