which was used for its music, anime re-releases, and other products. As the company continued generating profits, it began expanding its operations into other entertainment industries. In 1996, Bandai Visual began publishing video games under the Emotion Digital Software brand, releasing titles such as Return to Zork, MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition and Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka. Mainstream success and Bandai Entertainment (1996–2005) In April 1996, Bandai Visual published Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the sixth mainline installment in the Gundam media franchise. Though it was a moderate success in Japan, Gundam Wing was especially popular in the United States, being credited for single-handedly popularizing the Gundam franchise for Western audiences. Following the show's success, Bandai established a subsidiary named Bandai Entertainment Inc. in Cypress, California as a subsidiary of its United States division, Bandai America. Though Bandai Visual did not have any direct control over Bandai Entertainment, the latter company often licensed many of Visual's anime series for publishing and distribution in North America, such as Cowboy Bebop, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and multiple Gundam sequels. Bandai Entertainment also published English-translated manga series and American graphic novels, in addition to offering a "fan support" program to facilitate public screenings of licensed content at anime clubs and anime conventions. Bandai Visual was listed on JASDAQ market in November 2001; by that time, the company was worth over 2.1 billion (US$20 million). In January 2003, the company acquired Emotion Music and made it a wholly owned subsidiary, as a means to further expand into the music industry. Bandai Visual also began supplying content for broadband distribution networks, such as the Bandai Channel television station. Bandai Namco takeover and merge with Lantis (2005–2018) Bandai Visual was a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. Bandai Namco announced on November 8, 2007, that it would buy the voting shares it did not own between that date and December 10, 2007, and turn the company into a wholly owned subsidiary. On December 18, 2007, Bandai Namco announced that it had owned 93.63% of Bandai Visual's shares since the end of November. The remaining shares were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 15, 2008, after Bandai Namco acquired the remaining 10% of the shares. In February 2018, it was announced Bandai Visual would be merged with Lantis into a new branch of BNH, called Bandai Namco Arts. The reorganizing took