In an interview with the Hokkaido Shimbun, Hudson president Hidetoshi Endou explained the steps which will follow this week's announcement, that Hudson has become a subsidiary of Konami. According to Endou, Hudson's independence won't be affected by the decision. Furthermore, he revealed that since last September the company has already laid off 60 staffers. He explained that following the large-scale loss during the fiscal year 2004/05, Hudson suffered a major decline in its available funds. Since the company was focusing its resources on network-related businesses, it was necessary to receive a financial injection from Konami.

Hudson will release the highly anticipated RPG Tengai Makyou III: Namida for PlayStation 2 in Japan tomorrow.

• Hokkaido Shimbun