Though gamers know Namco Bandai more for gaming hits like Tekken and Ace Combat, the publisher is equally known in Japan for their catalog of popular animation, including such hits as Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, K-On and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Though with anime piracy running rampant in the United States, it seems the company will be dissolving their North American anime wing: Bandai Entertainment USA, halting the production of many anime localizations.
I'd say that this is sad news for anime fans, but the truth is many of them are likely too busy pirating their favorite shows to realize the implications this has for the anime industry. With just about every popular show being subtitled and re-uploaded to torrent sites within mere hours of the original Japanese broadcast, an entire potential market for animation has been bypassed, meaning more and more studios are being forced to close, the only animation houses able to remain profitable often those churning out pandering "moe" schlock or pornography.
In short, anime is dead. Take this news as you will.
