Possibly even sadder then The Last of Us.....

[Skyblade]

I'm resting my hopes on Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. Nintendo is already aware of the niche, the market, and the profitability of ATLUS's properties, and they already have an investment in them due to the joint project.

And Nintendo or Namco/Bandai are the only groups I can think of who would purchase ATLUS and not destroy it.

I'd much rather only get ATLUS games on Nintendo systems than see what would happen to ATLUS under the aegis of EA.

[NeoCracker]

And Atlus Sold for 30% more then it's estimated Value. Winner of the bid not yet announced.

Atlus Fetches $200 Million at Auction, Index to Announce New Owner

[Skyblade]

And Atlus Sold for 30% more then it's estimated Value. Winner of the bid not yet announced.

Atlus Fetches $200 Million at Auction, Index to Announce New Owner

Gosh dang it, if I'd won that Powerball, I could have bought ATLUS.

[Skyblade]

Sorry for the sequential post, but I figured I'd bring this up again for a little bit more in-depth discussion.

First, the bidding is apparently not over. Since Index is not yet in bankruptcy and being forced to auction its properties, this isn't a straight auction, but rather a presentation by various companies who are interested in taking over the subsidiaries. This means that Index does still have some control/veto power over who actually gets control (though, due to their financial troubles and fraud investigations, money is likely to be pretty much all that matters). There is some back-and-forth, similar to an auction, but it stretches the process and introduces other factors. So the money could climb higher, or ATLUS could actually go for a lesser amount if Index really liked another offer. Either way, don't expect it to drag out too long, as Index does really want to sell. I figure around two weeks minimum before we get any news.

Second, the suspects. Well, there are probably several Japanese companies we've never heard of who are in the bidding for acquisition here (and would probably be fairly safe bets). But, as for the rest, let's list off companies who we know might have an interest in this acquisition.

Well, there's SEGA. SEGA-Sammy holdings is the only confirmed bidder I know of. In my mind, they're also a fairly poor choice for final control. ATLUS's position as a smaller company likely means that both ATLUS and ATLUS USA would be folded into SEGA's respective companies. While this might mean that ATLUS gets to continue making quality games, it also likely means that they would never ben ported over here, as SEGA of America has been pretty much gutted and refuses to port any of the Japanese niche titles the company has been making (like Yakuza or Valkyria Chronicles).

Then there's Nintendo. Personally, I believe they might have a lot of interest in ATLUS. ATLUS has actually been a decent supplier of games for the DS and 3DS. Further, Nintendo has recently shown far more than the usual interest in ATLUS games. Shin Megami Tensei IV has been being pushed very heavily by Nintendo, and is doing very well for the 3DS. What's more, Nintendo has started and shown interest in crossover products and promotions with Fire Emblem, with both Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem and the Nintendo e-shop promotion for registering the two. I think Nintendo is a good bet for someone who's seeing the potential for ATLUS, knows its market, and would not utterly destroy them. It would also mean that you'd need a Wii U to play Persona 5, but nothing's perfect.

Of course, if we're counting the console moguls, we can't really discount Sony. Sony's consoles have been the home to most of the biggest name ATLUS games. Persona 4 The Golden is STILL considered the best game on the Vita. Further, since ATLUS does produce a lot of high quality handheld games, Sony might see them as a way to help secure and promote the Vita (which, despite being a great system, has no one really developing for it), in addition to being able to produce more games like Persona, or developing an actual sequel to Demon's Souls.

Another name that has been coming up in the discussion is Gung-Ho Online Entertainment. Not exactly the big name that the others are, most of us will recognize it as being responsible for titles like Ragnarok Online, Ragnarok Oddesey, or its tie to ATLUS, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Gung-Ho does have a few interesting points, however. First, it recently acquired Grasshopper Manufacture, Suda 51's company. This gives it control of another company known for producing, translating, and promoting Japanese niche games. The other point is that Gung-Ho does seem to have the money to support another such purchase, as they have been making money hand over fist through their creation of the most profitable app on the iOS and Android markets, Puzzle and Dragons (seriously, check the numbers, this thing is insane). Gung-Ho is an ambitious little company that does seem to be moving to be a bigger producer, and would be a fairly interesting choice. Picking up ATLUS would give them access to more IPs, and access to ATLUS USA's distribution/localization system.



Those are all I've seen being discussed as likely candidates, short of the praying that the Evil Ones (EA, Activision, and their ilk) don't catch wind of this potential to drive another company into the dust. But if any of you have any more thoughts or ideas you'd like to bring up, I'd be happy to hear it. I know we could just wait and find out in a few weeks, but I do find the analysis and discussion interesting.

[Bolivar]

Yeah I've seen a lot of talk of Sega possibly coming out on top, and I don't think it would be such a bad thing if not for the point you made in that very recently, they haven't done a good job of bringing some of their most-beloved games over here. That's a big problem, and even if they don't acquire Atlus, they need to find a way to give their western fans what they want, in a way that makes sense for them.

I don't think Sony's going to do it, just because they're in very tight times right now where they're trying to cut down as many costs as possible and get their company back on track. I think this is the first time ever that they haven't sold their new console at loss, hoping to make it back on games.

I guess Nintendo makes sense but I dislike how they've been hogging all my favorite companies/brands to themselves. After seeing what Level-5 did for Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2, it was really disappointing for IX and X to be DS and Wii games, respectively. Now they're doing this with Sega, and while I'm not the biggest fan of Atlus, I'd be sorry to see it happen with them as well.

[Slothy]

Not going to lie, if Nintendo were to buy Atlus I would break down and cry because it would mean I won't be playing their games for the next 5 years minimum.

[Slothy]

Sega Buys Atlus Parent Company Index Holdings | The Escapist

Probably one of the better outcomes we could have hoped for.

[Hollycat]

Still not good news (look forward to more mobile releases and less console), but then again, Atlus is one of the best. There isn't really anyone who deserves to own them.

[Bolivar]

Yeah not a bad outcome at all. Now that I think about it, probably the top of my favorite recent RPGs list are all Sega and Atlus games.

[Jiro]

This is probably the best-case scenario, so can't complain. Goddammit Atlus, you can't quit on us!

[Slothy]

I'm just glad that it wasn't Nintendo or someone else that bought them so they aren't locked into a single platform. Everyone should get to play Atlus games.

[Skyblade]

I'm just glad that it wasn't Nintendo or someone else that bought them so they aren't locked into a single platform. Everyone should get to play Atlus games.

Most ATLUS games are only released for a single platform anyway. Sure, they hit a variety of them. But if you're a Persona fan, you need the Sony systems. No way around that. If you like the Devil Survivor games, you need a DS. Etcetera. ATLUS doesn't do multi-platform releases of a single title.

Personally, I'm pretty dang unhappy with this. SEGA does not have a good history with me. They were once a beacon of the industry. They then drove their own consoles into the ground, forcing themselves to switch to software only. Their history with Sonic Team shows just how badly they can ruin a good series, and how far they'll go milking it. And their recent history away from Japan has been horrible, in my mind. They butchered their own US distribution centers and localization teams, and they've refused to localize most of their niche titles, like Yakuza and Valkyria Chronicles.

I'm afraid that ATLUS America is not going to survive this acquisition, and that we'll never see another Persona game released stateside.

[Bolivar]

Idk I think we've received most Yakuzas and Valkyrias although recent times may have been a bit more sparse. I feel like Sega needs to keep Atlus' traditionally solid Western business to maintain the value of their acquisition.

[Skyblade]

Idk I think we've received most Yakuzas and Valkyrias although recent times may have been a bit more sparse. I feel like Sega needs to keep Atlus' traditionally solid Western business to maintain the value of their acquisition.

I give you this quote from 2012, after SEGA-Sammy discussed the results of its US and Europe restructuring:

Due to the challenging economic climate and significant changes within the interactive gaming industry, SEGA has made the decision to consolidate its publishing business in order to focus on developing digital content and driving its existing IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise. This realignment of the business around existing and digital IP is a necessity to ensure that SEGA continues to invest and enhance its digital business offering, whilst reducing its reliance on traditional packaged goods.
As a result of the SEGA Sammy Board decision to consolidate the business, many of our internal functions will be re-structured and this could result in a number of redundancies within the publishing business across the Western organisation. The company will be entering into a re-structure phase to reflect the unprecedented change in our industry and to move the company forward appropriately.
The changes will position SEGA as a content led organisation, maximising sales with a strong and balanced IP portfolio across both packaged and digital distribution. The management team are confident that the proposed restructure will benefit the company and make it fit for purpose within the changing nature of the industry over the coming years.

SEGA butchered their own localization teams and decided to refocus them on only those games that they thought would sell well over here. They don't want to localize anything that they can't count on to be a huge success.

[NeoCracker]

So long as they go the route they did with Relic entertainment and let Atlus do their own thing, it should be just fine. Depends entirely on if they do that or not though.

I don't' think we'll see the death of Atlus USA if only because they are arguably one of the strongest localization groups we have right now, and I don't think even Sega is silly enough to not put that to use, not after how much they paid for it.