Sotsu

Sotsu Co., Ltd. is a Japanese advertising agency and, since March 2020, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings, having substantial relations with it before the acquisition, especially with its now-corporate sibling, Bandai Namco Filmworks.

History

It was founded in 1965 as Toyo Agency (東洋エージェンシー, Tōyō Ējenshī), with it being designated by baseball team Yomiuri Giants as its primary agency for the planning and distribution of the team's merchandising interests. In 1977, it changed its name to Sotsu Agency (創通エージェンシー, Sōtsū Ējenshī). The agency was first listed in the JASDAQ stock exchange in 2003. On April 1, 2007, the company changed its name to Sotsu (創通, Sōtsū).

It has been involved in the production and licensing of numerous television programs, beginning in 1972 with Thunder Mask. The first anime series it produced was Sunrise's Invincible Super Man Zambot 3, after which the company produced numerous others. In 1979, it produced Mobile Suit Gundam.

In October 2019, Bandai Namco Holdings announced plans to acquire Sotsu, a move which would grant the company rights to the entire Gundam franchise. The next month, however, Chicago, Illinois-based investment firm RMB Capital forced Bandai Namco to raise the tender offer price for Sotsu in a follow-on tender offer targeted at the general shareholders of Sotsu. On March 1, 2020, Sotsu finally became a fully owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco.