Namco Bandai merger rolls forward as shareholders give approval

The planned merger between Japanese companies Namco and Bandai has now passed its last major hurdle, with Namco's shareholders this week giving their approval to the deal, which will create one of the largest game and toy companies in the region.

Bandai's investors had already given their approval earlier in the month, so the road is now clear for the merger to proceed later this year, with full details of how the companies will work together expected to be announced in September.

For now, Namco bosses have moved to assure staff and shareholders alike that no layoffs will result from the deal, as the business sectors of the two companies don't overlap to any major degree.

Even in the games space, the types of title launched by the firms differ greatly - and while Namco will continue to work mostly with internal studios, Bandai's titles will be developed by third parties.

The deal is the third major merger in the Japanese publishing space in the past few years, following on the heels of the Square Enix and Sega Sammy mergers, both of which have been seen as largely successful in improving the fortunes of the companies involved.