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Takahiro Mizuno, Director and Chief Tamagotchi Officer at Bandai Japan Featured in Nikkei Business Publications Article on Tamagotchi Uni

Nikkei Business Publications is a book and magazine publisher based  in Tokyo, Japan which also features a website on all things business. With Tamagotchi gearing up for the next major anniversary, and the release of the Tamagotchi Uni, Nikkei Business Publications featured an article about the Tamagotchi Uni, and even spoke with Takahiro Mizunio, Director and Chief Tamagotchi Officer, and Hirohiko Sekito, Global Toy Planning Department Planning Team Manager.

The article reviews the new Tamagotchi Uni and how it features Wi-Fi connectivity, along with pink and purple shell colors which are popular amongst generation Z. With the Tamagotchi brand a few years away from the 30th anniversary, it is not uncommon to see three generations of Tamagotchi-loving family fans.

Throughout the years, there have been releases of Tamagotchi in select markets, but regular market updates were limited to the Japan market. One of the features of the Tamagotchi Uni is that this is a global model that unifies all design and play content. 

Mr. Takahiro Mizuno, Chief Tamagotchi Officer explains the the reason why it became the same model worldwide. As the Tamagotchi Original was re-released in North America, the Tamagotchi was discovered more and more and people starting enjoying it as a fashion item instead of accessories, inflicters and celebrities wore them. Would you look at that, the Tamagotchi Original was a huge influence for a global release, remember that!

It was widely recognized not only by those who play with it, but also the young people of generation Z who were unaware of the trends. It means a lot that Tamagotchi fans all over the world can play with the same model! We agree!

Tamagotchi Original has become a mega-hit product with shipments of approximately 4.4 million units in Europe and the United States between 2018 and 2022. In 2022 they were released again in Japan, sold in WEGO stores for the young demographic, and succeeded in acquiring a new target for people in their teens and twenties. “I feel that a new brand value has been created,” says Mr. Mizuno.

The Tamagotchi Smart was the first wearable model which returned to the original concept of caregiving play and was a model that was more enjoyable to play alone. However the spread of online culture due to COVID-19 has boosted the installation of Wi-Fi in the Tamagotchi Uni.

Mr. Daihiko Sekito of Bandai, who was in charge of planning, recalls, "I wanted to create an environment where I could communicate with fans around the world with my own Tamagotchi. The Wi-Fi function that allowed me to connect to the Internet was essential.”

The Wi-Fi function uses IoT service of Amazon Web Services, designed to withstand the connection of more than 1 million units worldwide. Mr. Mizuno says, "It's great to be able to update and add functions. Adding fun will make it a model that you can play for a longer time than before." Although it is such a small device, it has become a platform like a smartphone.

There are also opportunities to interact with influencers and talents who acted as image characters for this promotion. Limited-time game events are held at Tama Arena, and event information is available via the cloud.

In the medium-term plan that started in 2022, we set the goal of “Connect with Fans” and set the goal of deepening global connections centered on IP (intellectual property).”I think that the environment for Japanese products to sell overseas has become even better. Now is the perfect opportunity for the BANDAI NAMCO Group to increase the value of its IP. I would like to ride this trend and expand Tamagotchi more and more." Mr. Mizuno)

It is very interesting to see both Takahiro Mizuno and Daihiko Sekito of Bandai interacting with the Tamagotchi Uni together, and with Tamagotchi Uni packaging from outside of Japan. This was an awesome article that really provides some additional insight into the Tamagotchi Uni and how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of a Tamagotchi that connects the globe together.