Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today unveiled the formation of SURGE, a new studio and publishing label dedicated to providing cutting-edge, genre-defining games that are targeted at satiating the appetite of western gamers. SURGE will deliver quality interactive entertainment across a wide assortment of categories and platforms.

“SURGE presents a significant milestone for NAMCO BANDAI as it personifies our commitment to deliver compelling content for the discriminating player who is looking for games that are not only groundbreaking but also push the envelope,” said Andrew Lelchuk, executive vice president of sales and marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America, Inc. “Through passion and innovation, SURGE will complement our portfolio of established franchises and intellectual property while positioning the company as a creative force.”

Afro Samurai, the high-style title that blends urban hip hop culture with traditional Japanese aesthetics, will be the first game to launch under the new label when it is released on January 27, 2009. Additional IPs currently in development and slated for 2009 will also be published under the SURGE label.

For more information about Afro Samurai and other NAMCO BANDAI Games products, please visit: http://www.namcobandaigames.com.

OK so it wasn’t all JUST For Afro Samurai...though speaking of that, I wonder how involved the creators of it are in this SURGE Studio. Cutting edge can be read as mature, blood, violence, etc... Of course it could also be read in another way but I don’t think it means that.