Pac-Man Meets Power Rangers

Bandai and Namco have just announced a consolidation deal to help combat their falling profits. The deal will mirror the Sega Sammy deal that joined the those two companies by creating a new holdings firm, Namco Bandai Holdings Inc. Namco, best known for "Pac-Man," will receive 43 percent while the toy company Bandai, best known for "Power Rangers," will receive the other 57 percent.<BR><BR>Both companies will gain substantial benefits from the merger including larger distribution networks, more capital and cross promotion of products. Through the merger the companies will have to compete with the likes of Hasbro, Sega Sammy and Disney.<BR><BR>"Bandai and Namco are both entertainment companies but because they focus on different areas the overlap will be small and the potential for synergies quite large," Bandai President Takeo Takasu told a news conference.<BR><BR><B>Source:</B> <A href="http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/02/news/international/bandai_namco.reut/index.htm" target=new>CNN/Money</A></FONT>