Namco Bandai moves to buy D3 News

Namco Bandai has announced its intention to acquire D3, the company that owns D3Publisher, which handles Puzzle Quest, Eat Lead and Ben 10 games.

According to an investor relations missive translated by Andriasang.com, Namco Bandai plans to make D3 a subsidiary and has already reached an agreement to purchase 70 per cent of its shares, as it attempts to obtain full control in future.

Namco Bandai specifically cited the successful Ben 10 series among other interests designed to help boost the company's footprint outside Japan.

"D3Publisher is thrilled to join forces with [Namco Bandai] to further strengthen their position in the US and European marketplaces and continue to make quality games that gamers will enjoy," a D3 spokesperson told GameSpot.

We've contacted both D3Publisher and Namco Bandai for comment.

Update: D3 has told Eurogamer that Namco's acquisition includes subsidiaries D3Publisher of America and D3Publisher of Europe, as well as subsidiary studio Vicious Cycle. "Development of our current and unannounced titles is ongoing and will move forward as planned," the publisher said.