JRPG dev/pub Atlus safe and sound

By Robert Purchese Published 31 August, 2010

Restructure "won't affect anything we do".

Update: Atlus staff have confirmed that this "manoeuvring" won't affect the company's game output.

"Don't worry, guys. This is just some corporate organisational manoeuvring and won't affect anything we do," wrote Inzaghi on the official Atlus forum.

"Atlus is not becoming a mobile games company. The original story doesn't even say that. This is purely a corporate manoeuvre so that Index, which is a mobile games company, has easier access to Atlus IPs. That's all."

Original story: Atlus - creator of Shin Megami Tensei and North American publisher of various JRPGs including Demon's Souls - has been dissolved.

Parent company Index Holdings did so in order to refocus on "profitable core areas", according to a Japanese press release translated by Gamasutra.

Apparently there's an indication that the Atlus brand will continue, but no further detail on the matter.

Index Holdings acquired Atlus in 2006.

Atlus' current flock of titles included controversial PS3 and Xbox 360 game Catherine, as well as Rock of Ages - the next game from Zeno Clash developer ACE Team.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Der_tolle_Emil #1 1 year ago

    But I want more Trauma Center :( At least Trauma Team got a relase in the US so there's no language barrier when importing it will be the only chance to play this game.

  • aine #2 1 year ago

    Fuck Index Holdings right in their profitable core areas. This had better not mean the end of Shin Megami Tensei :(
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 10:19

  • jonsaan #3 1 year ago

    This is bad news. Atlus brings some fantastic stuff to the UK.

  • riz23 #4 1 year ago

    That Catherine looks interesting. Will it come out over here?

  • BuddyChrist #5 1 year ago

    Dear god, this is turning into a trend. Soon, all good game developers with be dead and EA will reign supreme.
    The creators of the games that made me
    Love gaming will soon be nothing but a memory.....

  • leafmulch #6 1 year ago

    Atlus has done a great job bringing some truly hidden gems to market. I hope the people behind that brand find a way to continue their great work. Demon's Souls is a work of art that Sony just didn't have the cajones to promote... Best wishes to all staff at Atlus.

  • Nuronv #7 1 year ago

    Thank you Atlus for bringing us "3D Dot Game Heroes" as well. I hope they stay in business as they really are one of the best publishers out there for none mainstream titles.

  • mazerius1st #8 1 year ago

    Your post about Atlus getting dissolved is not totally truthful. According to the Index Holdings press release Atlus is not going to be listed as a separate entity in the Tokyo exchange from now on but as a brand Altus will remain intact. Also intact will remain their game design operations.
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 10:58

  • dwalker109 #9 1 year ago

    That press release is pretty vague - I'd wait and see what this really means before lamenting too hard.

  • Silent-Hal #10 1 year ago

    Oh dear indeed. From the sounds of it Atlus will stay intact following this, but this could still be very bad for them. If one of the last bastions of great JRPGs went under then I'd be crushed. What of Catherine? What of the three SMT games they announced for the 3DS? What of Persona 5?! D:

  • Ged42 #11 1 year ago

    This better not mean the end of Catherine, I demand my crazy fucked up Japanese sheep porn

  • McBradders #12 1 year ago

    Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-

  • Acrid #13 1 year ago

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO

  • JahB #14 1 year ago

    I don't think this is as bad as it sounds. I don't think you will see the end of AAA franchises because of this

    if it hadn't been for atlus, very few people outside of japan would have ever heard of Demon's Souls. this really is as bad as it sounds.

  • Cloud-Strife #15 1 year ago

    No more Persona? :'(

    I'm so sad, so very very sad.

  • Gastrian #16 1 year ago

    Please don't say thats the end of Super Robot Wars: Orignal Generation?!?

    90% of my GBA import collection has Atlus on the box.

  • darth_paul #17 1 year ago

    @ aine
    they're a company... they're here to make money. they're not a charity, you know. they'll try to find a balance, but in the end of the day, Index isnt certainly going to bleed money just for you to have fun.
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 13:02

  • Sevens #18 1 year ago

    I hope the old Atlus - their potential/future games - won't suffer because of this.

  • Phishfood #19 1 year ago

    Worlds worst parent.

  • Tuffty #20 1 year ago

    Judging from what they said, I'm not so worried. The company registrar is the only thing being renamed to Index. This is the name you want to use when you buy/sell stocks that has Atlus under it. Atlus will continue to exist as the name of the development and publishing house that creates and distributes those quality games.

  • metalangel #21 1 year ago

    I love Atlus.... they brought some great games over to the West that otherwise would likely have never left Japan under another publisher's banner. From Rockin' Kats on the NES to Etrian Odyssey on the DS, they are superb :)

  • telboy007 #22 1 year ago

    I hope Etrian 3 is still going to come out in the US, been waiting for this to come out for importage for ages! :(

  • Sonic_D #23 1 year ago

    Eh? I read that they were being absorbed, not dissolved. I think this story has got it wrong.

  • Feanor #24 1 year ago

    Poor reporting on this story by Eurogamer.

  • Amblin #25 1 year ago

    So a vague report, no clarification and posted as news.....way to go Eurogamer.

    Any chance of some real clarification, i.e. call someone!

    This doesn't mean the end of anything, yet.

  • darkmorgado #26 1 year ago

    Actually they are being absorbed, not dissolved.

    This story is wrong - Atlus aren't ceasing to exist, they are simply no longer going to be listed as a separate stock entity.

    A rare case of poor journalism from EG.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #27 1 year ago

    Well, hopefully scratching the name Atlus is not the first step of planning to get rid of them eventually.

    Edit: Who the hell would downrank me for a comment like this?! :/
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 15:06

  • Shikasama #28 1 year ago

    darkmorgado - They are probably holding out for the CEo of Atlus to call the CEO of Index a dick

  • Silent-Hal #29 1 year ago

    Well that's a relief. Was getting worried for a second there.

  • originaljohn #30 1 year ago

    Glad to hear they're ok

  • darc #31 1 year ago

    It' seems a stretch to call Demon's Souls a JRPG, whether it came from a Japanese developer or not. It almost seems a stretch to call it an RPG, in the extent that it skews toward an action game (albeit a very deep one.)

    Anyway, glad they're not going anywhere. Their name seems to pop up on everything I'm playing lately.
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 18:28

  • darc #32 1 year ago

    P.S. What the hell is "Catherine"??

    edit - Never mind just found this:

    "Every night, it's the same thing: Vincent's climbing up an endless stairway, running into talking sheep and giant hands..."

    So, it's Persona 3.5 then?
    Edited by 1 at 31/08/10 @ 18:25

  • lucky_jim #33 1 year ago

    EG seem to have to correct a lot of their news stories nowadays.

  • aine #34 1 year ago

    I'm still a bit apprehensive about this. They might be keeping the Atlus brand name but I can't help thinking this will lead to a company that takes a lot fewer risks, and therefore becomes a lot less interesting. Like Sega, or Taito.

    It probably won't affect the US branch much, but, well, I don't live there. Even from an importing-games-they-publish kinda perspective (or a "European publishers hardly ever bother with a Japanese title that hasn't already been localised for the US" perspective), I have absolutely no doubt that other American niche publishers like NIS/Aksys/Xseed etc will step in to fill the gap. It's the Japanese side I'm concerned about - theyre one of the best developers in the country IMO.