Toy maker Takara Co. plans to launch a board game in Japan based on mergers and acquisitions amid growing interest in corporate power struggles.

The "Game of Life M&A" was developed with entrepreneurs, including Takafumi Horie, president of Internet services firm Livedoor Co., which piqued the public's interest earlier this year by launching a high-profile takeover bid for an AM radio broadcaster, Takara said.

The game, to debut Sept. 29, is designed mainly for students and businesspeople who are willing to study M&A deals or are interested in stock investment, a Takara spokeswoman said.

The object of the game is to make various deals to maximize the value of your company. The player whose company has the highest value wins.

The players can emphasize environmental conservation programs by protecting carbon dioxide-absorbing forests or recruit charismatic fund managers to boost their corporate profile. They can even launch space businesses.

The game uses a lot of M&A jargon, including the infamous poison pill, a tactic designed to make a company's stock less attractive to a hostile bidder.

The new game is the 37th in Takara's Game of Life series, and the company has set an initial sales target of 200,000 units for the first year.

Earlier this year, Livedoor became involved in a heated two-month battle with Fuji Television Network Inc. for control of Nippon Broadcasting System Inc.

Livedoor and Fuji TV buried the hatchet in April, with Fuji agreeing to spend 147 billion yen to acquire the Livedoor group's entire equity stake in the radio firm, which had been Fuji TV's largest shareholder.