News
It looks like SEGA has bought Atlus parent company Index for 14 billion yen
Holy crap, guys. Nikkei is reporting that SEGA has come to terms to purchase Atlus parent company Index for approximately 14 billion yen.
There’s not much else, aside from this terribly Google translated version of the article:
“Index of civil rehabilitation proceedings in the game content production company, solidified a policy of management transfer substantially Sega Sammy Holdings. SEGA SAMMY acquisition the index with 14 billion yen to around November. At present, the company is promoting the debt compression business liquidation, I proceed with the restructuring to the axis of the core game business in the SEGA SAMMY under the umbrella.”
This has to be the largest purchase of another video game company SEGA has ever made.
[Via NeoGAF]
I wonder if this means Atlus games will finally be easier to purchase in the US. I’ve always had a hard time tracking them down if I missed the release date. Heck sometimes the games go up in price pretty quick.
I hope this means good things for Atlus games and maybe some Sega IPs as RPGs xD Or something cool to that effect.
Next week: Persona 3’s protagonist announced for the PC version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
Does this mean Atlus games will no longer be published in the West due to “lack of interest?”
There is already a lot of worry out there on “teh internetz” on whether Sega is going to stop localizing Atlus’ games. I think we should just wait a bit and see where the inevitable “restructuring” takes us, and the big tell will be if Atlus USA gets shuttered.
In the meantime, I suppose what people should do is simply support and purchase the Atlus games they like, especially AFTER the Sega takeover in November and in the digital format, where possible. If the dollars are big enough, Sega will notice.
I pray that Sega favors a laissez-faire approach with Atlus. Do not rush development, let the fruit ripen before reaping the reward.
I have a feeling there will be many spin-offs of Atlus titles. Will Sega publish more Atlus games for the PC market? I hope so, but no past trend exists to lend credence to this hope.
But hey, even the ultraconservative developer SNK is starting to release games on Steam, so who knows. If Sega wanted a share of the PC market, they certainly have the funds and the library quality to make a big splash on the Steam charts.