On March 1st Hudson will be no more (Source) . Konami will be taking full ownership and closing the famous studio. Last April, Konami scooped up Hudson by acquiring all of their shares thus making them a subsidiary of Konami.
Hudson has a long history in the video game world with notable titles over several platforms and console generations. Some of their most notable contributions include Bonk, Bomberman, Adventure Island, Far East of Eden, and the long running Mario Party series.
Hudson came into being May 18, 1973 dealing mostly in personal computer products for the Japanese market. The company would move itself into the video game market becoming one of the first third party developers for Nintendo.
The company would go on and help collaborate on a new video game console dubbed the “PC Engine” with the help of Nippon Electric Corporation (NEC) in 1987. The PC Engine became a major player in the console race in Japan, going toe-to-toe with Nintendo’s Famicom system. The PC Engine would later make its way across the ocean to North America as the TurboGrafx-16.
Konami has yet to state what, if any future plans exist for the various intellectual properties held by Hudson. Before Konami took complete control, Hudson had shifted its focus toward the mobile games market with expansion into the ever growing social market.
Hudson was more than just a video games developer and publisher. It also had a music business that will also become part of Konami and be merged into Konami Music Entertainment.