Namco brings casual in-house

In a nod to the ever growing importance of the casual games sector, it has been confirmed that social games publishing division Namco Networks America is to be merged with Namco Bandai Games America.

Current Namco Networks CEO and COOKenji Hisatsune will subsequently become president and CEO of the new organisation.

The move is intended to improve and increase the publishing of titles on iPhone, mobile and the internet and will also allow established casual franchises to easier make the move onto home consoles.

We strive to make games accessible to gamers across multiple platforms,” Hisatsune stated. Combining the companies’ deep pools of talent and resources is the best way for us to achieve our goal of broadening our consumer base.

I am very excited about uniting these dynamic groups and look forward to delivering top-notch content that’s appropriate for multiple gaming platforms and communities.”

The deal is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of 2011, by which time both segments will operate as a single unit.

Story originally published on CasualGaming.biz