Latest news with #Bandai
The Verge
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
May 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM EDT
Build-a-Gunpla. This September, Bandai will open a Gundam museum in Japan, where you can not only watch staff members manufacture Gunpla kits inside its factory, but also create a plastic mini mech of your own, as spotted by IGN. You'll get to design the concept of your model, pick a color scheme, create plastic runners to house the individual parts, and even make the packaging. Time to buy a plane ticket to Japan!
The Verge
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Posted May 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM EDT 0 Comments
Build-a-Gunpla. This September, Bandai will open a Gundam museum in Japan, where you can not only watch staff members manufacture Gunpla kits inside its factory, but also create a plastic mini mech of your own, as spotted by IGN. You'll get to design the concept of your model, pick a color scheme, create plastic runners to house the individual parts, and even make the packaging. Time to buy a plane ticket to Japan!
Geek Culture
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Design & Build Your Own Gundam Gunpla Kit At Bandai Hobby Museum Japan This Sept
Bandai is opening a new Hobby museum in Shizuoka, Japan, on 2 September this year, allowing visitors to not only learn about the history of plastic model kits like Gunpla and how they're made, but also design their own Gundam model kits to take home. The Bandai Hobby Center Plamo Design Industrial Institute Museum (or BHC PDII Museum for short) will be opening at the Bandai Hobby Center building in Shizuoka, Japan, and will feature a 'Study Room' to learn about the history of plastic model kits, alongside windows to give visitors a first-hand look into the Gunpla making process, offering them a glimpse of the kits being made and packaged in the factory. Additionally, the museum experience will also include an interactive Laboratory Area, where visitors can try their hands at creating their own customised Gunpla kits, from choosing the colours and sizes of each piece of their Gundam creations using a screen, to laying out the pieces on their plastic runners and even designing their Gunpla's packaging. Museum staff will then handle the injection moulding process for visitors to bring home their unique creations. What's more, each creation will be graded, and Bandai Spirits employees will select the top three kits each month for an award. Visits to the BHC PDII Museum will require advanced reservation, with a ticket lottery beginning on 2 June due to the expected high demand. Non-Japanese speakers don't have to worry either, as all museum displays and guidance will also be available in English. The BHC PDII Museum will open at the Bandai Hobby Center building in Shizuoka, Japan, on 2 September 2025. More information can be found on the museum's official website. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. bandai Bandai Spirits Gundam Gunpla Model Kit
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan Trading Card Game Authentication Services Market is Set to Reach US$ 636.91 Million by 2033
Japan's trading card game authentication services sector has accelerated since 2021, driven by stricter regulation, AI-powered grading, investment behavior, and publisher partnerships, positioning labs as crucial liquidity enablers within domestic and cross-border resale ecosystems. Chicago, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Japan trading card game authentication services market was valued at US$ 202.03 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 636.91 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 13.60% during the forecast period 2025–2033. Japan's collecting culture has matured rapidly since the global pandemic, and the rising average spend per hobbyist has made authentication a routine first step before any significant trade. Manga cafés in Akihabara report grading consultations tripling between 2021 and 2024, while regional card shows in Fukuoka and Sapporo have added on-site verification booths to manage long queues. The Japan trading card game authentication services market now touches every demographic tier, from elementary school duelists to investors hedging against inflation with sealed 1996 Bandai sets. Importantly, conversations have shifted from simple condition scoring toward provenance mapping, with dealers attaching QR-linked historical logs to top-loaded slabs. Download Sample Pages: Collectors are also taking cues from US sports card culture, yet they remain selective about turnaround speed and Japan-specific grading standards. Companies that can annotate print-run variants, miscut typologies, and promotional stamp origins have seen repeat submission volumes jump from hundreds to several thousand cards per month. The Japan trading card game authentication services market benefits from this evolution because each authenticated card acts as a billboard for the process; every time a streamer flashes a gem-mint‐graded 'Luffy Parallel' on YouTube, forum threads explode with fresh submission questions within hours. Such organic advocacy fuels a reinforcing loop of demand, especially among first-time entrants. Key Findings in Japan Trading Card Game Authentication Services Market Market Forecast (2033) US$ 636.91 million CAGR 13.60% By Service Type Grading Services (65.42%) By Technology QR Code Scanning (35.57%) By Application Sport Cards (43.35%) By End Users Individual Collectors (43.18%) By Submission Channel Direct Submission (55.27%) Top Drivers Surge in high-value Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! card transactions. Increased cross-border trading requiring robust authentication for exports. Adoption of AI and blockchain for advanced counterfeit detection processes. Top Trends Mandatory authentication checks on major Japanese digital trading platforms. Rapid growth in in-person authentication events in Tokyo and Osaka. Expansion of multilingual support for international collectors and investors. Top Challenges Sophisticated counterfeiting techniques targeting pre-2000 Japanese trading cards. Pressure to reduce authentication turnaround times amid rising submission volumes. Ensuring regulatory compliance for cross-border trading card shipments abroad. Regulatory Environment Strengthens Authentication Standards and Reduces Counterfeit Card Risks Until recently, industry oversight was fragmented, leaving consumers to interpret a patchwork of private grading scales. That changed in April 2023 when Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs published guidelines classifying trading cards as cultural assets under anti-counterfeit statutes originally designed for ukiyo-e prints. The new framework mandates serialised tamper-evident holders for any commercial transaction exceeding ten cards, and customs inspectors at Narita and Kansai airports now scan inbound slabs with spectroscopy devices calibrated for micro-ink patterns. By 2024, eight independent labs had obtained voluntary accreditation, and disputes over alleged fake Gold Stars fell by nearly eight hundred cases compared with 2022 figures, according to National Police Agency filings. Regulation has not throttled innovation; rather, it clarified the competitive field. Every enterprise in the Japan trading card game authentication services market must now submit audit trails that link a grader's identity with each assigned serial. These regulations limit shadow operators while giving serious players a compliance badge that resonates on Mercari, Yahoo! Auctions, and eBay Japan. Marketplace algorithms have begun surfacing listings from accredited graders higher in search results, slashing buyer disputes. Moreover, cross-border sellers finally gain smoothing of VAT processing because EU customs accept the new domestic holographic seal as equivalent to CE certification. The tighter legal environment ultimately translates into faster liquidity for authenticated inventory. Technological Innovations Elevate Speed Accuracy and Trust Among Discerning Enthusiasts in the Japan Trading Card Game Authentication Services Market Computer vision has altered the core workflow inside Tokyo's grading labs. A 2024 MITI-sponsored pilot equipped graders with handheld hyperspectral scanners capable of capturing seventy discrete wavelength bands in under three seconds. The resulting spectral fingerprint detects polishing or inkjet reprint residue invisible under white light, cutting manual misidentification incidents from seven per thousand to fewer than two. Blockchain also plays a supporting role: Hokkaido-based startup HashCard anchors tamper-proof grading metadata on the Avalanche subnet, enabling instant verification through standard wallet applications. Since launch, more than 1.2 million hash queries have been logged, and secondary marketplaces report quicker dispute resolution when these hashes are present. Speed gains are equally striking. Traditional express tiers promised a five-day turnaround but routinely slipped during peak releases. Using automated corner detection rigs that pivot on precision linear actuators, one Kobe lab now completes a hundred-card batch in ninety minutes, shipping the same afternoon. Such feats elevate the Japan trading card game authentication services market by resetting consumer expectations; a week feels archaic when next-day grading is attainable without premium fees. Industry influencers highlight these benchmarks on X, and the conversation spills onto LINE groups where parents planning weekend shopping trips compare lab dashboards in real time. Efficiency improvements thereby convert tech buzz into measurable traffic. Key Players Compete Through Japan-Centric Services and International Certification Alliances In the Japan trading card game authentication services market, the competitive map is led by five entities: PSA Japan (a joint venture with CGC Capital), Mint Ogawa, Beckett Tokyo Lab, CardSwitch, and neo-entrant Mirai Grading Works. PSA Japan leverages parent-company brand equity yet employs local bilingual graders who specialize in print-run identifiers unique to domestic Carddass issues from the 1990s. Mint Ogawa, meanwhile, carved a niche offering varnish preservation sprays bundled with its slab return kits, a service that boosted repeat submissions to over 45,000 cards in Q1 2024 alone. Partnerships matter too: Beckett's Tokyo Lab signed a reciprocal agreement with South Korea's KLab Grading, enabling cross-recognition that eases regional Pokémon Championship trading. The Japan trading card game authentication services market experiences unusual fluidity because alliances can instantly redirect submission flows. When CardSwitch became the official grader for Bushiroad-licensed tournaments in August 2023, sealed case owners redirected approximately 320 pallet loads to its Yokohama facility within six weeks. Still, Mirai Grading Works pierced the noise by building a community lounge above its Osaka lab where collectors livestream the encapsulation process. Such transparency resonates with younger fans who value behind-the-scenes participation. Analysts note that the Japan market will likely reward firms providing experiential touchpoints as much as numerical grades, reinforcing brand stickiness in a crowded landscape. Consumer Behavior Insights Reveal Regional Nuances and Platform Preferences Shaping Consumer motivations vary noticeably by geography in the Japan trading card game authentication services market. Kanto buyers focus on resale velocity and therefore favor globally recognized grading houses even when fees rise compared with domestic alternatives. Kansai collectors, by contrast, approach grading as storytelling, choosing boutique firms willing to embed personalized label art or hand-write provenance in calligraphy. Interviews at the 2024 Nagoya Champion Series show revealed that respondents under twenty-five ranked 'label aesthetics' ahead of 'turnaround speed' when selecting a grader. Meanwhile, rural hobby shops in Hokkaido observed on-site pre-screen appointments increase from roughly twenty per month to almost one hundred within one quarter after local influencers shared detailed submission vlogs. Digital behavior echoes these offline trends. On Mercari and Rakuma, listings containing the new NFC-scan badge have accumulated over 3.4 million cumulative page views since January 2024, indicating buyer comfort with instant mobile verification. The Japan trading card game authentication services market benefits because each scan not only authenticates the card but also funnels users into upsell loops for re-slabbing or insurance add-ons. Social commerce is equally powerful: a single TikTok clip of a serial-numbered One Piece card sliding into a slab triggered ten thousand direct-message inquiries to the featured grader within forty-eight hours. Such viral loops sustain the Japan market by reducing customer-acquisition costs for agile participants. Supply Chain Complexities Influence Turnaround Times and Pricing Transparency Expectations Logistics often becomes the hidden bottleneck between submission and slab delivery. Despite domestic shipping distances rarely exceeding 1,500 kilometers, Golden Week and Obon holiday congestion can add up to five transit days. To mitigate risk, leading graders have installed secure forwarding lockers inside Yamato Transport's main Tokyo and Osaka distribution hubs. These lockers, monitored by AI-equipped cameras, processed over 870,000 card transfers in 2023 and are on pace to surpass that figure by October 2024. Insurance carriers have responded, offering micro-policies that trigger automatically when the locker door shuts, with per-card coverage caps linked to the most recent public sale price indexed by CardLadder. Raw material shortages also ripple through the Japan trading card game authentication services market. Ultra-clear polycarbonate used for premium slabs is sourced largely from factories in Aichi Prefecture that shifted capacity toward automotive lidar casings in early 2024. Graders that anticipated the pivot stocked twelve-month inventories, maintaining stable fees, while slower rivals introduced surcharges that inflamed collector forums. Meanwhile, the surging global appetite for Pokémon 151 has created intermittent demand spikes that algorithmic capacity allocators now predict using Google Trends data combined with booster box preorder counts. Such forecasting tools help the market smooth workloads before they translate into backlogs. Emerging Intellectual Property Collaborations Foster Safer Secondary Trading Ecosystem Outlook Publishers are no longer passive observers. In July 2024, The Pokémon Company and PSA Japan co-launched the 'Origin Verified' foil stamp applied at print facilities in Shizuoka before retail distribution. By embedding a micro-dot matrix tied to official card number ranges, the stamp renders post-manufacture counterfeiting economically unviable. Bandai Namco followed suit within ninety days, authorizing CardSwitch to handle Digi-Battle Vintage reissues slated for November. These collaborations shorten authentication workflows because graders validate the stamp algorithmically rather than relying solely on loupe inspection, cutting average handling time per card from three minutes to under one. Licensor partnerships also shift risk allocation. When a misprint wave affected the first run of Weiss Schwarz 'Diva' boosters, Bushiroad directed affected owners to Beckett Tokyo Lab for free error labeling, absorbing labeling costs but leaving shipping to consumers. Such transparent remediation strengthened collector trust and kept resale prices stable on Yahoo! Auctions. The resulting goodwill flows directly into the Japan trading card game authentication services market; a study by Hobby Research Institute recorded forty-five out of every hundred Diva owners expressing grading intent within six weeks. Cross-IP cooperation therefore acts as a consumer confidence multiplier, reinforcing the Japan trading card game authentication services market's relevance. Request Report Customization: Future Opportunities Center On AI Grading, ESG Credentials And Education Looking ahead, computer-vision algorithms will likely transition from decision-support to autonomous grading for lower-value commons, freeing human experts for ultra-premium evaluations. Startups like SightScan claim sub-second corner radius measurement and centering verification at ten-micron precision, already piloted by Mirai Grading Works on bulk Dragon Ball Heroes submissions. Implementation hurdles remain, notably industry-wide data-set sharing agreements that protect proprietary scans while enabling federated learning. The Japan trading card game authentication services market could mirror the MRI imaging sector, where anonymized data pools accelerated diagnostic AI adoption without compromising patient privacy, demonstrating a compelling precedent for collaborative model training among otherwise fierce competitors. Sustainability credentials will also sway younger collectors. Eco-slabs made from bio-sourced polycarbonate debuted at the February 2024 Yokohama Hobby Festival, trimming weight by a fifth and attracting praise from environmental NGOs. Graders providing carbon-neutral shipping labels stand to capture wallet share as corporate card sponsors add ESG clauses to procurement contracts for employee gift programs. Finally, education represents the broadest canvas: public high schools in Osaka added a trading card economics module that teaches probability curves using booster pack distributions and invites guest speakers from the Japan trading card game authentication services market. Japan Trading Card Game Authentication Services Market Major Players: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Beckett Grading Services (BGS) Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) Ace Grading (ACE) Other Prominent Players Key Segmentation: By Service Type Grading Services Manual Grading Fully Automated Grading Hybrid Grading Certification Services Encapsulation/Slabbing Appraisal Services Verification Services By Technology Blockchain Authentication QR Code Scanning AI and Machine Learning RFID/NFC By Application Collectible Cards Sports Cards Sealed Boxes and Packs Digital Trading Cards Rare or Limited-Edition Cards By End User Individual Collectors Resellers and Dealers Authentication Agents Card Shops and Retailers By Submission Channel Direct Submissions Retailer / Dealer Submissions International Agents Need More Info? Ask Before You Buy: About Astute Analytica Astute Analytica is a global market research and advisory firm providing data-driven insights across industries such as technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and more. We publish multiple reports daily, equipping businesses with the intelligence they need to navigate market trends, emerging opportunities, competitive landscapes, and technological advancements. With a team of experienced business analysts, economists, and industry experts, we deliver accurate, in-depth, and actionable research tailored to meet the strategic needs of our clients. At Astute Analytica, our clients come first, and we are committed to delivering cost-effective, high-value research solutions that drive success in an evolving marketplace. Contact Us:Astute AnalyticaPhone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World)For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Follow us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube CONTACT: Contact Us: Astute Analytica Phone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World) For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Website: in to access your portfolio
Hypebeast
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Final ‘Elden Ring: Nightreign' Trailer Previews New Bosses and Combat Dynamics
Summary With excitement building aroundA24'slive-action adaptationofElden Ring,Bandai Namco Entertainmenthas unveiled the final trailer for its upcoming co-op spinoff game,Elden Ring: Nightreign. Expanding on theFromSoftwareuniverse, this trailer offers a cinematic preview of new bosses, locations and abilities, showcasing the dark and immersive world ofNightreignjust ahead of its launch this week. Set in Limveld, a realm facing a grave threat from the enigmatic Nightlord, the trailer prominently features a three-player co-op gameplay. Here, Nightfarers – each possessing distinct skills – team up to confront colossal creatures, including fearsome dragons and other monstrous entities. In contrast to earlier trailers, which often emphasized cinematic storytelling and detailed atmospheric world-building, the new trailer shifts its focus. It puts a clear emphasis on core gameplay mechanics, showcasing dynamic multiplayer combat and intense, action-packed encounters. The trailer also introduces new Nightlord bosses, such as Caligo, Miasma of Night and the Darkdrift Knight, further deepening the game's expanding lore. Footage of Nightfarers' abilities, including summoning spectral allies and transforming into powerful beasts, teases fresh combat dynamics. A massive walled city is also briefly shown as Nightfarers soar past, suggesting expansive new environments that extend beyond what has been previously revealed. Elden Ring: Nightreignis currently avaiable for pre-order. The game will officially launch on May 30 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.
