Frank-ProvoKonami announced overnight that it has entered into an agreement to purchase 3 million shares in Japanese developer Hudson for approximately $13 Million. The deal is set to close on April 27. Currently, Konami already owns 45% of the total shares. After the deal is complete, the company will own 54% of Hudson–which will give Konami majority share-holder status.
Konami plans to annex Hudson as an official subsidiary once the transaction is finalized.
So what does this mean for Hudson's familiar properties, such as Bomberman and Adventure Island, or for Hudson's lucrative third-party development agreements that are already in place with companies such as Nintendo and Sega? For now, Konami and Hudson execs are keeping quiet about future plans.
Both companies hope that the newly-struck subsidiary status will increase Hudson's net worth and help simplify the ailing company's current reorganization process.
It'll be interesting to see what happens, if anything, to Nintendo's Mario Party franchise as a result of this move. Hudson has been developing Mario Party games for Nintendo since the Nintendo 64 days, and that partnership has proven to be lucrative for both companies.