Gamesindustry.biz reports that Namco Bandai has upped its stake in publisher D3 to 95% and that it plans on acquiring the remainder of the company as well.

This includes D3’s development studio – Vicious Cycle – and the company’s US and European arms. Namco is doing this to bolster its position in western markets.

The site reports that D3’s operations will remain unchanged at the time and that development of its titles is ongoing and “will move forward as planned.”

Splatterhouse developer BottleRocket Entertainment was taken off the project by publisher Namco Bandai for “performance” reasons, according to the latter, but now the studio alleges that Namco was “inept” in its handling of the project.

BottleRocket has shot back, defending its performance record while accusing Namco of mismanagement.

"We too have to be careful of what we say since publishers have to worry about their ‘image’ and will sue small, independent studios who bark back at them too loudly," begins a BottleRocket statement issued to Gamasutra. It continues below:

Game development contracts are put in place to protect the publisher and their interests. Within these contracts are a series of defined game development objectives and goals called milestones. If a developer is under performing they tend to fail these milestones and have varying degrees of accountability placed upon them. Splatterhouse had been in development for over eighteen months and up to having the title taken away from us we had not missed any contractually defined milestones. So either there were no performance issues during that timeframe or Namco’s management of the title was inept.

Namco Bandai today announced that Dynasty Warrriors: Gundam 2 will be available in stores starting April 21.

The second entry in the robotic take on the franchise will be available on PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Twelve new screenshots from Tekken 6 have been released, showing off the various characters from the fighting game. Hit the jump for full character bios.

The game is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 during the fourth quarter of this year.

(more…)

Publisher Namco Bandai defended its decision to remove original developer BottleRocket Entertainment from Splatterhouse, saying it was done over a “performance issue” with the studio.

"The only reason why publishers pull the project out from the developer is when the developer isn’t really meeting the requirements," said Namco vice president Makoto Iwai. "So, unfortunately, this was the case."

He continued: "I have to be very careful so we don’t make any direct comment on it because whatever we say, people will try to be on the developer side. You know, ‘The developer is an independent developer trying hard, and evil publishers are trying to get rid of the business by doing whatever they feel like.’ That’s not the case. I just want to be 100 percent clear. There was a performance issue."

Splatterhouse is due out later this year on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Namco Bandai sends word that Soul Calibur 4 has sold a total of 2.2 million copies since its release in July 2008. The game reportedly shipped over 2 million copies one week after its July 31 release.

The publisher also reported a profit of $99.7 million for its third quarter ending December 31. This profit was largely raised by the sales of the fighting sequel, with some help from Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit’s 730,000 sales.

Soul Calibur 4 is available on PS3 and Xbox 360.

While Square Enix was courting Eidos, Namco Bandai is said to be making a play for D3 Publisher, according to a Japanese press release.

Namco has already secured 70% of D3 shares, and hopes to acquire the remaining 30% for full control of the company. The publisher hopes that the acquisition will allow the two companies to cooperate in their overseas expansion efforts, in addition to bolstering D3’s content with Namco’s toy, amusement, video and networking divisions.

D3 is known for publishing titles like Dark Sector, Puzzle Quest, Naruto and Ben 10.

Following up on the previous announcement, here’s a CES 2008 trailer for Soul Calibur IV, showing off the inclusion of Yoda and Vader from the Star Wars series.

In one of the oddest announcements to be ever made, Namco Bandai sent out word that iconic Star Wars characters Yoda and Vader will make their appearance in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Soul Calibur IV. The Sith Lord Darth Vader will be choking his way to the PS3 version, while Yoda will be jumping around frantically on the Xbox 360 version.

“It is quite rare that two publishers of this caliber are able to collaborate on this level to create a top notch entertainment experience for next-generation platforms.” said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO at Namco Bandai. “In the entertainment industry, LucasArts possesses some of the most recognizable characters and franchises in the world. We’re thrilled to integrate their historic characters into one of our most treasured brands.”

It is not known how exactly the players in the game will be able to block lightsaber attacks, but rest assured, it will be fun. Soul Calibur IV is due out this September.

It has been announced that Dwight Little, the director behind Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and Free Willy 2, has been chosen to helm the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Tekken, Namco Bandai’s popular fighting franchise.

“The film plays out as a science fiction story set in the near future, about a rebel who rises up against the Tekken Corp. to seize freedom for his people,” Little said to Variety. “It’s a gladiator story, but the video game has a complicated enough storyline that it provides the template for a martial arts spectacular.”

The movie’s script has been penned by Alan McElroy (Spawn, Halloween 4) and will begin production on February 4, 2008.

Both Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Beautiful Katamari have gone gold for the Xbox 360 and will be released on the console on October 23 and October 16, respectively.

The titles were internally developed at Namco Bandai and feature online multiplayer and more. Demos of the games are available from Xbox Live Marketplace.

Recently updated official game pages for two Namco games show that they are coming to the PS3: Beautiful Katamari and Eternal Sonata. Previously exclusive to Xbox 360, Beautiful Katamari will now also be available on the PS3 as well as the oft-rumored Wii version. Eternal Sonata, also an ex-Xbox 360 exclusive, will be released for the PS3 as well, though it is not known when it will ship; the Xbox 360 version ships this week.

A picture pack from Eternal Sonata is now available via Xbox Live. It includes new avatars of Allegretto, Beat, March, Salsa and Viola. Previous picture pack includes the Polka pack, which is also still available on the service.

Eternal Sonata is a turn-based RPG set for release on September 17.

Today marks the release of new details of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, an upcoming flight-action game for the Xbox 360 from Namco Bandai. The game will feature four unique multiplayer modes with full leaderboard and stat-tracking functionality. The modes are:

Battle Royale: Dodge missiles, blast your opponents and hit the throttle in this frenetic free-for-all battle! Up to 16 players can participate in Battle Royale mode, with the pilot with the highest score at the end of play taking first place.

Team Battle: Put your teamwork to the test as you try to out-maneuver and out-shoot opposing squadrons controlled by other players. Choose from the game’s variety of authentic licensed aircraft to choose the perfect combination of speed, durability, and firepower for your team. Up to 16 players total can play as up to two different squadrons to see who rules the skies in this test of aerial tactics.

Siege Battle: Two teams of up to four players each take turns assaulting and defending a variety of land, sea, and air-based targets in this original online mode. The team that is able to divide and conquer, clearing the targets in the shortest amount of time, will become the winner.

Co-op Battle: Up to four players can compete against computer-controlled enemies in a selection of cooperative missions. Use teamwork, superior firepower, and your ferocious fighting sprit to dominate the skies and complete the mission as quickly as possible.

Additionally, the company also announced that the game will support a wide variety of downloadable content including new color schemes for their planes, super-high difficulty missions, additional multiplayer stages and more.

The game ships exclusively on Xbox 360 on October 23.

Namco Bandai has announced Warhammer: Battle March for the PC and Xbox 360, marking the debut of the series on consoles. Battle March is an expansion to the tactical strategy game, offering six unique playable armies, fully customizable units and more.

The Xbox 360 version will get intuitive control schemes and support for online play for up to four players via Xbox Live. The expansion adds the Dark Elf and Orcs & Goblins forces; it will also allow players to fully customize their units in great detail, enabling them to “strike fear” into the opponents’ hearts using a combination of weaponry and armor.

Battle March is set for release sometime next year on PC and Xbox 360.