How Gundam Turned Anime, Games and Model Kits Into a Global Business

A Robot Franchise With Billions of Yen at Stake

Gundam, the Japanese robot franchise that began in 1979, is projected to generate 153.5 billion yen across Bandai Namco's business segments in 2025. Its expansion now reaches from plastic model kits and video games to a planned Hollywood film and a virtual world backed by an announced $130 million investment.

Sony's decision in 2025 to buy a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco Holdings for about 68 billion yen, or $470 million, adds another dimension to that growth. The investment connects a company with major entertainment franchises to the owner of anime streaming service Crunchyroll, with both seeking a larger international audience.

For fans, the relationship with Gundam often begins much more simply. Hong Sebin became fascinated as a young teenager in South Korea with Japanese online cartoons about giant robots fighting in the distant future. That experience captures how a story first made for Japanese television can find viewers abroad and draw them into a much larger world of characters, games and physical objects.

Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise, now part of Bandai Namco Filmworks, Gundam combines towering machines with human drama and complicated politics. More than four decades later, its business depends on keeping those stories appealing while giving audiences many ways to take part.

The result is a franchise whose commercial strength comes from the connections between its parts. An anime can introduce a robot, a game can let someone control it, and a model kit can put a version of it on a fan's shelf.

Why Gundam's Robots Felt Different

The original Mobile Suit Gundam took a different approach from earlier robot anime. Instead of presenting machines as nearly invincible superheroes, it treated them as military equipment within a larger conflict. This became known as the "real robot" approach: imagined technology presented with practical limits and a place in the machinery of war.

Set in the Universal Century timeline, the series portrayed war as tragic and complicated. Characters on opposing sides had motives and weaknesses, and the story allowed shades of gray rather than a simple division between good people and bad people.

That combination of plausible technology, military realism and political themes helped Gundam connect with viewers and set a new standard for the genre. The machines supplied the spectacle, while decisions made by people gave the battles their emotional weight.

Gundam has since expanded into more than 50 television series, films, original video animations, manga, novels and video games. Original video animations, often shortened to OVAs, are animated productions made for video release. Manga are Japanese comics.

Multiple timelines and alternate universes give creators room to introduce new characters and settings while returning to familiar concerns about conflict and responsibility. SD Gundam brings comedy into the franchise, while series focused on Gunpla, its plastic model kits, add contemporary settings and make the hobby itself part of the storytelling.

How Bandai Namco Connects the Businesses

Bandai Namco calls its approach the "IP axis strategy." IP means intellectual property, the characters, stories and fictional worlds that a company can develop into different products. In practical terms, Gundam is the shared foundation for animation, games, merchandise and live experiences.

The company chooses channels according to the franchise and the market. Animation may introduce a story to one audience, while games, merchandise or an event may be the more effective route elsewhere. Timing also matters: products and services are intended to reach people when interest in a particular fictional world is strongest.

Gundam sits alongside Dragon Ball, One Piece and Pac-Man in Bandai Namco's portfolio. The company's broader approach has helped it become Japan's third largest video game publisher, behind Sony and Nintendo.

For Gundam, a central connection is between the robots on screen and Gunpla, the models people assemble themselves. Gunpla dominates Japan's market for plastic models based on fictional characters. Dedicated shops, building competitions and full scale statues give fans places to shop, meet and experience the franchise beyond a screen.

What the Sales Figures Actually Cover

Bandai Namco's figures place Gundam's projected sales across all business segments at 153.5 billion yen in 2025, behind Dragon Ball's 190.6 billion yen. The difference between those two figures is 37.1 billion yen, showing the distance Gundam still has to cover in that particular comparison.

The figures presented for 2026 put Gundam at 65.4 billion yen in IP sales, ahead of One Piece at 32.8 billion yen, Dragon Ball at 26.5 billion yen and Naruto at 6.8 billion yen. On that measure, Gundam's figure is almost twice One Piece's and more than twice Dragon Ball's.

Those comparisons cover different business categories and periods. The 153.5 billion yen projection covers Gundam across business segments in 2025, while the 65.4 billion yen figure is presented as IP sales for 2026. Readers need the category and period alongside each number to understand where Gundam leads and where Dragon Ball remains ahead.

Gundam also leads in toys and hobby products, with a projection of 25.4 billion yen for the first quarter of the financial year ending in 2026. Model kits are therefore central to the franchise's commercial position, alongside its films, shows and games.

In 2021, Gundam passed 100 billion yen in annual sales for the first time, accounting for more than 10% of Bandai Namco's total sales. That milestone shows how much a franchise that began with a television series had come to matter to the wider company.

International demand adds to the business through Gunpla and digital content. New animation helps bring younger viewers into that market. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, the franchise's first series with a solo female lead, is one example of how a new story can refresh a familiar brand.

Games, Streaming and a Virtual Meeting Place

Gundam's video games range from strategy titles to fast paced shooters. Gundam Evolution is an example of its move into team competition, described as a game that was free to play and inspired by titles such as Apex Legends and Overwatch. Games give players an active role in the fictional world and provide another way for newcomers to encounter it.

Bandai Namco announced a $130 million investment in 2022 to develop a Gundam metaverse. A metaverse is a shared virtual environment where people can gather and take part in activities through digital representations of themselves.

The proposed Gundam platform brings several parts of the business into one online setting. Plans include events, themed concerts, screenings of new shows, and shopping for models and other merchandise. The aim is to let fans in different places participate in a common space while linking digital activities to physical products.

Gundam also reaches international viewers through more familiar platforms. Its official YouTube channel streams classic and new series, and major releases such as Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway are available through services including Netflix.

Physical attractions remain part of the same effort. Full scale Gundam statues in Japan draw tourists, while Gunpla competitions attract enthusiasts from around the world. Streaming offers access to the stories; shops, competitions and attractions give that interest a physical setting.

A Hollywood Film With Global Ambitions

Bandai Namco has partnered with Legendary Entertainment on a live action Gundam film, tentatively titled GUNDAM. Jim Mickle, known for his work on Netflix's Sweet Tooth, is attached to write and direct it.

Bandai Namco Filmworks and Legendary are cofinancing the project, with a worldwide theatrical release planned. Bandai Namco Filmworks America was established to handle production and overseas licensing, the business of authorizing the use and distribution of the company's properties abroad.

The production timetable had pointed to a start in early 2025. As of August 9, 2025, no confirmed production start or theatrical release date was given. The project is intended to become Gundam's first Hollywood adaptation in live action.

The film aims to introduce the franchise's fictional universe to a broader audience, drawing on global interest in Japanese popular culture and the success of other anime adaptations. A theatrical film offers a different entry point from a long running animated franchise or a model building hobby.

An unnamed entertainment analyst described Gundam's position in Japanese popular culture and the reasoning behind the adaptation:

Gundam is considered the Star Wars or Marvel Universe of Japan and a pioneer of the mecha genre. Its transition to live-action is a natural evolution for a franchise of this scale.

A successful film could support further merchandise, related productions and collaborations across different media. For Bandai Namco, that makes the project part of the same business approach already connecting animation, games and models, this time through a Hollywood release.

Why Sony Is Buying Into Bandai Namco

Sony Group's acquisition of a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco Holdings for approximately 68 billion yen gives the two companies a closer financial connection. The investment was announced in 2025 as they sought to strengthen their positions in anime and entertainment.

Sony already owns Crunchyroll, giving it a major role in distributing Japanese animation internationally. Bandai Namco brings franchises, especially Gundam, that can support animation, games, merchandise and events across multiple markets.

The companies said in a joint statement that they would focus on expanding their fan community and creating new, emotionally engaging experiences. Their partnership builds on previous collaborations involving Gundam and other franchises.

Nintendo already holds a 1.8% stake in Bandai Namco. Taken together, the investments show how major Japanese entertainment companies are building financial relationships around businesses with recognizable characters and committed audiences.

For Gundam, the attraction lies in the breadth of its audience relationships. Someone may discover the franchise through streaming, spend time with a game, buy a kit and attend an event. A company with interests across entertainment has several possible points of contact with that same fan.

The Milestones Behind the Expansion

Gundam's growth has taken place over decades, with the original animation followed by new formats, larger sales and plans for further international expansion. Its recent business announcements build on a franchise established in 1979.

• 1979: Gundam began as an anime created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise.
• 2021: Annual Gundam sales exceeded 100 billion yen for the first time and represented more than 10% of Bandai Namco's total sales.
• 2022: Bandai Namco announced a $130 million investment in a Gundam metaverse.
• Early 2025: The planned Hollywood film's production timetable had targeted a start during this period.
• 2025: Sony announced its purchase of a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco for about 68 billion yen.
• 2025 and 2026: Sales projections put Gundam at 153.5 billion yen across business segments in 2025 and 65.4 billion yen in the IP sales category presented for 2026.

The timeline connects two forms of expansion: deeper participation by existing fans and new ways to reach people who have never watched a Gundam series. Models and competitions serve a dedicated hobby community, while streaming and the planned film can bring the stories to wider audiences.

A Cultural Presence Beyond Sales

Gundam's place in Japan extends beyond its revenue. Often compared with Star Wars in the United States, it has inspired fans, academics and creators through its treatment of war, political choices and ethical dilemmas.

Academic studies and art exhibitions have examined the franchise, while engineering projects have brought its machines into the physical world through life sized, moving Gundam statues. Those projects turn a fictional design into something visitors can see at human scale.

The franchise's longevity also depends on a balance between continuity and change. Its stories keep returning to human conflict and the consequences of technology, while new timelines, characters and formats give successive audiences different places to begin.

New anime, games, digital platforms and the planned live action film extend that process. Bandai Namco's investments and partnerships seek to connect those experiences, keeping longtime model builders involved while reaching people whose first encounter may come through a streaming service or cinema.

Gundam's business is therefore inseparable from the ways people participate in it. Watching, playing, building and attending events each offer a different relationship with the same fictional world. Keeping those relationships active is what connects a television debut in 1979 to the financial ambitions set out for 2025 and 2026.

Key Points

• Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise, Gundam began in 1979 and expanded across animation, films, games, comics, novels and model kits.
• Gundam is projected to generate 153.5 billion yen across business segments in 2025, compared with Dragon Ball's 190.6 billion yen.
• The IP sales figures presented for 2026 put Gundam at 65.4 billion yen, ahead of One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto in that category.
• Gunpla model kits are central to the business, supported by shops, competitions and full scale attractions.
• Bandai Namco announced a $130 million Gundam metaverse investment in 2022 and is developing a Hollywood film with Legendary Entertainment.
• Sony announced a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco in 2025 for approximately 68 billion yen. Nintendo already holds 1.8%.
• Gundam's expansion connects new stories and international distribution with games, merchandise and experiences for fans.