Elden Ring publisher sent 200 employees to 'exile rooms' in provoking layoffs - Bloomberg

According to reports from Bloomberg, Bandai Namco (the publisher of Elden Ring and Dragon Ball) has placed 200 employees in "exile rooms," effectively prompting them to resign voluntarily.

In Japanese, the term "oidashi beya" (exile room) refers to a practice where employees are assigned to rooms (often without windows), forced to perform monotonous, unnecessary tasks, or left without any assignments. These actions are intended to make employees realize their unproductiveness and encourage them to resign voluntarily, all while not violating Japan's strict labor laws.

It has been reported that around a hundred employees from the publisher have already resigned.

Meanwhile, Bandai Namco denies the use of "exile rooms," stating that some workers "may need to wait until they are assigned to upcoming projects."

“Our decisions to cancel games are based on a comprehensive assessment of the situation. Some employees may have to wait a little while before they are assigned to their next project. Bandai Namco does not employ a method like 'oidashi beya' that pressures individuals into voluntary resignation.”

Bandai Namco is one of the largest publishers in the industry, experiencing financial challenges like other gaming companies, despite the release of hits such as Elden Ring and Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, which was launched last week.

Recall that earlier this year, Bandai Namco shut down the mobile game Tales of the Rays and announced its intention to cancel the popular free-to-play RPG Blue Protocol. Bloomberg also reports that the publisher has either suspended or completely canceled the development of several additional games, including those based on the anime Naruto and One Piece, as well as a mysterious project it was working on with Nintendo.