Japanese publisher Bandai Namco is investigating a potential bomb threat at its office in Santa Clara, California, according to IGN.

The company has confirmed the investigation but it remains unclear as to whether the threat is real or a hoax. All staff members are safe.

“We can’t provide any comment regarding the validity of the threat as there is an ongoing investigation in progress," read a statement from Bandai Namco.

"We can say that all our employees are safe and that we will be doing everything in our power to safeguard the well being of our employees."

This isn’t the first time a games developer has received a bomb threat. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward had to evacuate its office last year due to receiving such a threat.

Gun violence

The situation at Bandai Namco follows recent acts of violence in the US, including a gunman entering a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. 22 people were killed with a further 26 injured in the incident. This led to Walmart announcing the removal of violent video game signage from its stores.

A second mass shooting occurred the following day in Dayton Ohio, resulting in 27 people injured, while 10 were killed.

Last week police were called to Twitch’s HQ in San Francisco to respond to a potential shooter.