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SEGA Sammy have bought Atlus

Dcubed

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Dcubed

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-18/sega-said-to-win-auction-to-buy-bankrupt-japan-gamemaker-index.html

 

Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. (6460) won an auction to buy Index Corp., the bankrupt Japanese developer of handheld games, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

 

The acquisition may be valued at about 14 billion yen ($141 million), said one of the people, who asked not to be identified before an announcement scheduled for as early as today. Index’s bankruptcy advisers plan to complete a deal with Sega Corp., a unit of Sega Sammy, in early November, they said.

 

Oh God, please don't screw around with Atlus USA! SEGA aren't a bad choice otherwise, but their localisation track record as of late has been pretty poor :cry:

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Hero-of-Time Proficient

Hero-of-Time

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Oh God, please don't screw around with Atlus USA! SEGA aren't a bad choice otherwise, but their localisation track record as of late has been pretty poor :cry:

 

Yeah, this is my main issue with this news. :cry:

 

Sega-Sammy denies the purchase.

 

Probably just some legal stuff, here's the article in english.

 

I assume they will keep saying this until we see some handshaking and smiles photos emerge.

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D_prOdigy Newbie

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Sega's a pretty safe choice for the business. Probably the third-party that's least likely to do a massive upheaval in terms of IP development.

 

But if things don't get localised, they don't get localised. Seems a bit churlish to moan about not getting money-losing localisations after the publisher has gone literally bankrupt.

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Dcubed Collaborator

Dcubed

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Sega's a pretty safe choice for the business. Probably the third-party that's least likely to do a massive upheaval in terms of IP development.

 

But if things don't get localised, they don't get localised. Seems a bit churlish to moan about not getting money-losing localisations after the publisher has gone literally bankrupt.

 

Atlus always made money on their US localizations though. They're VERY lean and efficient in their US operations (even the EO series made money for them and they typically sold under 30K each!)

 

SEGA on the other hand are nowhere near as efficient and have refused to localise games which sell much better than the EO series (hi Valkyria Chronicles 3!)

 

One would think that they would keep Atlus US around (and even allow them to take care of some of SEGA's MIA games like the Yakuza series), but SEGA aren't exactly known for smart decision making...

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Shorty Apprentice

Shorty

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Seems a bit churlish to moan about not getting money-losing localisations after the publisher has gone literally bankrupt.

Do you think so? We're not really in a position to be offend anybody tucked away in this little corner of the internet. Really the only thing worth exploring right here is whether or not we'll get to play our favourite Atlus titles. There was never any real doubt that the company would be bought and jobs would be saved, so what we're left with is what it means for us.

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Happenstance Enthusiast

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Atlus' message to fans after Sega buyout

 

 

Atlus has issued a message to its fans following Sega's £88 million purchase of the company.

 

President and CEO Naoto Hiraoka posted an open letter on the Japanese studio's website, thanking fans for their patience as Atlus' parent company, Index, faced financial collapse.

 

"As you may already know, Index Corporation filed for Civil Rehabilitation Proceedings in Japan on June 27 and since then, has been searching for a solution which would allow us to continue our business of making great games," Hiraoka said.

 

"Atlus has consistently received support and praise from our faithful and our respected customers, and made great progress in recent years. So the recent incident must have surprised and worried all of you dearly. For that, I would like to express my deepest apologies.

 

"We have nurtured a great relationship with Sega Inc. for a long time, especially concerning our consumer games business in Japan. I believe the collaboration between the two companies at this time will be mutually beneficial for the following reasons:

 

Sega understands our drive to achieve quality and to expand awareness of the Atlus brand.

Our respective strengths in game development complement each other well.

 

"We are extremely happy to be able to continue with our business, and be able to report this good news to our fans and customers. Again, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported us.

 

"Currently, we at the Consumer Software Division in Japan are focusing on developing future titles, and are willing to take on new challenges to further achieve growth and success."

 

Sega's purchase of Atlus, which makes the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games, should be completed by 1st November 2013.

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-09-20-atlus-message-to-fans-after-sega-buyout

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Debug Mode Newbie

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I think the right company bought them.

 

Overall, I agree. But when it comes to localisation, one of the worst companies has bought them.

 

Sega have shown significant strength in the Japanese markets these days, they're relearning their shit. Atlus is in good hands over there. But over here? I wouldn't be surprised if they take a hit from the western offices of Sega who are all into safe bets.

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  • 2 months later...
Happenstance Enthusiast

Happenstance

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Atlus' freedom to revive any classic Sega game is exactly what both parties need

 

Sega is giving its newly-acquired development studio Atlus complete freedom to revisit any of Sega’s dormant IPs. Basically a very public handing over of the keys to all the cars in daddy’s garage. This is what’s known in the trade as a Very Good Thing. Sega may have released many strong compilations and HD remakes of its old games over the past few years, but proper revivals have been patchy at best. Remember the new Golden Axe? Neither do I. What these classics need is a fresh approach--and that's where Atlus could (nay should) shine bright like a Chaos Emerald.

 

The story has come out via a translated article from Japanese gaming mag Famitsu, as reported by CVG News. According to the report, Sega Sammy’s Chief Operating Officer, Naoya Tsurumi, said: "I believe that the addition of genres is a crucial factor.

 

"Especially with regard to the fact that Sega have never excelled in RPG titles. With consideration towards Atlus' strengths, Japanese RPGs would be a prime example [of an added benefit]."

 

But don’t think that means Atlus will be limited to using an obvious RPG candidate like Phantasy Star or just bashing out further iterations of its own RPGs. If they can reimagine any classic Sega franchise then they're allowed to go ahead and do it. Tsurumi said: “While we have no intention of forcing this, we'd definitely love to have them utilize any of Sega's dormant IPs.”

 

http://www.gamesradar.com/atlus-freedom-revive-any-classic-sega-game/?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=emp&utm_campaign=atlusfreedomtomakeanyclassicsegagame

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