Namco Bandai Games announced today that it will be absorbing its Namco Tales Studio subsidiary. The studio will be officially disolved following the transaction, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1 following board approval on November 29.
The company did not give a reason in its brief announcement of the move today. You can see that announcement here (PDF, Japanese).
Namco Tales Studio is a wholly owned Namco Bandai Games subsidiary that is responsible for the Tales of series of games and was formed on March 20, 2003. According to the studio's corporate website, the studio has 109 employees as of April 1, 2011.
Given that Namco Bandai has multiple Tales games and product in production, it's likely that the studio will continue its work, but will just cease to exist as public company. We'll have to wait for further details from Namco Bandai as to what will happen to the Namco Tales Studio name itself.
Hopefully, this isn't more than an internal business decision and doesn't mean that Tales games are over.
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY." --Hermann Goering, leading Nazi party member, at the Nuremberg War Crime Trials
Conservatives: Pushing for a small enough government to be a guest in your living room, or even better - your uterus.
