Takara buys majority stake in Tasunoko Productions

Japanese developer and publisher Takara has purchased an 88 per cent stake in anime studio Tatsunoko Productions in a deal worth more than 1 billion yen (USD 8.9 million).

According to the Kyodo News service, the deal will enable Takara to create new videogames and merchandising based on Tatsunoko's anime properties.

These include Speed Racer, Gatchaman, Tekkaman Blade, Casshern and Generator Gawl. Tasunoko also provided animations for the Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada TV series, which were later turned into the Robotech series by LA production company Harmony Gold. The studio no longer owns distribution rights for the Macross franchise following legal disputes with other production companies.

Takara's previously developed games include Duel Masters 2 and 3 for the GBA, Beyblade Super Tournament Battle for GameCube and ChoroQ, Road Trip and Seek and Destroy for PS2. The company is due to merge with toy manufacturer Tomy next March.