JoshuaKadmon
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- Aug 12, 2012
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Atlus, a subsidiary of Japanese multimedia company Index Holdings and the developer of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona video games, will reportedly have their assets sold off starting this week and wrapping up as late as September. Index Holdings recently filed bankruptcy after an accounting fraud scandal, and since Atlus is the only branch of the company still making huge profits, they will look to pay off their multimillion-dollar debt by selling the division to another video game developer. If you're reading this post, you probably already know this much.
The move is important to anyone who plays video games, or more specifically, anyone who loves RPGs. Atlus has recently been working very closely with Nintendo, both in their development of Namco and Nintendo branded 3D Classics and their cross-promotion of eShop credit by registering the recently released Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus) and Fire Emblem: Awakening (Nintendo). It's also noteworthy that Fire Emblem: Awakening's drastic shift in style payed heavy homage to Atlus favorite Persona 3, both in gameplay structure and storyline. This relationship between Atlus and Nintendo has led to rumors that the Big N would be the company most interested in acquiring Atlus, especially since they have also planned a Wii U release of Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem for 2014. Analysts still say that the Nintendo buyout is just a rumor, but it does sound like a very real possibility.
Of course, if Nintendo acquired Atlus, that means the highly anticipated Persona 5 would either be moved from PS3/PS4 to Wii U or it could be cancelled altogether. Since Persona 5 has the potential to sell millions for the first time in Atlus' 25+ year history, and since it would remove a major money-making third-party franchise from Sony's lineup, I wouldn't expect Sony to take the Nintendo threat lying down. But if Sony acquires Atlus, the opposite problem occurs - no more 3DS games (of which there have been plenty from Atlus, to the point of transforming the handheld's library from mediocre to dream-come-true) and no more Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem. However, if they do buy Atlus, Sony may have a chance to rectify a decision that they cite as "one of the worst mistakes we've made this generation", when they passed on publishing Demon's Souls in North America, thus opening the door for Atlus to snap up rights for its established fanbase and make millions on a Sony IP.
For most RPG gamers, the ideal situation would be for a third-party developer to acquire Atlus and allow them to continue business as usual. We would still get a wide range of releases, spread out on whichever platforms are most suitable, and Atlus would potentially be allowed to publish games under their own label. Since the Atlus brand has a track record that's unbeatable in its own niche, and since they've got the dedicated Atlus Faithful community to show for it, it wouldn't be smart to subvert the label under a parent company's less-reliable name plate. Tecmo Koei is probably the Japanese third-party dev with the deepest pockets at this point, and while some gamers may cringe at the idea of them purchasing their beloved Atlus, NIS America's buyout under Tecmo Koei has already demonstrated that the parent company would probably leave them to their own profitable devices. Other names have been thrown around, too, including Square Enix (rival RPG dev who publishes some of Atlus' titles in Europe), Sega (who has publishing deals with Atlus of Japan), Capcom (who's been dabbling in a return to RPG development), Konami (probably not in the financial condition to purchase Atlus at this point), and Namco Bandai (same as Konami).
Personally, I think Square Enix would be a double-edged sword for Atlus. While name recognition between Japan's two greatest RPG developers would probably bolster support for both, most gamers don't trust what Square has been doing over the last decade. They've also spent a tremendous amount of money trying to resuscitate Final Fantasy XIV, along with their horrible plan to re-instate paid subscriptions after the game was forced into free-to-play status for almost two years of redevelopment. If FFXIV and their corner-cutting FFXV plans fail to gain support, Square Enix would become a sinking ship, and I'm sure Atlus wouldn't want to be in that situation for a third time (that's right, this is already the second rodeo for Atlus). On the other hand, the cross-promotional ideas are endless, and the Shin Megami Tensei games would finally get the budgets and advertising that they deserve.
Sega, Konami, and Namco Bandai are all hurting from their own bad decisions in recent years, so even if they show up for the bidding, they're likely going to be the broke guys in the back who are too embarassed to raise their hands...
For now, it looks like Sony, Nintendo, and Tecmo Koei are the biggest contenders.
So, if you had to pick a favorite in the ensuing bid war, who would you pick to acquire Atlus?
The move is important to anyone who plays video games, or more specifically, anyone who loves RPGs. Atlus has recently been working very closely with Nintendo, both in their development of Namco and Nintendo branded 3D Classics and their cross-promotion of eShop credit by registering the recently released Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus) and Fire Emblem: Awakening (Nintendo). It's also noteworthy that Fire Emblem: Awakening's drastic shift in style payed heavy homage to Atlus favorite Persona 3, both in gameplay structure and storyline. This relationship between Atlus and Nintendo has led to rumors that the Big N would be the company most interested in acquiring Atlus, especially since they have also planned a Wii U release of Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem for 2014. Analysts still say that the Nintendo buyout is just a rumor, but it does sound like a very real possibility.
Of course, if Nintendo acquired Atlus, that means the highly anticipated Persona 5 would either be moved from PS3/PS4 to Wii U or it could be cancelled altogether. Since Persona 5 has the potential to sell millions for the first time in Atlus' 25+ year history, and since it would remove a major money-making third-party franchise from Sony's lineup, I wouldn't expect Sony to take the Nintendo threat lying down. But if Sony acquires Atlus, the opposite problem occurs - no more 3DS games (of which there have been plenty from Atlus, to the point of transforming the handheld's library from mediocre to dream-come-true) and no more Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem. However, if they do buy Atlus, Sony may have a chance to rectify a decision that they cite as "one of the worst mistakes we've made this generation", when they passed on publishing Demon's Souls in North America, thus opening the door for Atlus to snap up rights for its established fanbase and make millions on a Sony IP.
For most RPG gamers, the ideal situation would be for a third-party developer to acquire Atlus and allow them to continue business as usual. We would still get a wide range of releases, spread out on whichever platforms are most suitable, and Atlus would potentially be allowed to publish games under their own label. Since the Atlus brand has a track record that's unbeatable in its own niche, and since they've got the dedicated Atlus Faithful community to show for it, it wouldn't be smart to subvert the label under a parent company's less-reliable name plate. Tecmo Koei is probably the Japanese third-party dev with the deepest pockets at this point, and while some gamers may cringe at the idea of them purchasing their beloved Atlus, NIS America's buyout under Tecmo Koei has already demonstrated that the parent company would probably leave them to their own profitable devices. Other names have been thrown around, too, including Square Enix (rival RPG dev who publishes some of Atlus' titles in Europe), Sega (who has publishing deals with Atlus of Japan), Capcom (who's been dabbling in a return to RPG development), Konami (probably not in the financial condition to purchase Atlus at this point), and Namco Bandai (same as Konami).
Personally, I think Square Enix would be a double-edged sword for Atlus. While name recognition between Japan's two greatest RPG developers would probably bolster support for both, most gamers don't trust what Square has been doing over the last decade. They've also spent a tremendous amount of money trying to resuscitate Final Fantasy XIV, along with their horrible plan to re-instate paid subscriptions after the game was forced into free-to-play status for almost two years of redevelopment. If FFXIV and their corner-cutting FFXV plans fail to gain support, Square Enix would become a sinking ship, and I'm sure Atlus wouldn't want to be in that situation for a third time (that's right, this is already the second rodeo for Atlus). On the other hand, the cross-promotional ideas are endless, and the Shin Megami Tensei games would finally get the budgets and advertising that they deserve.
Sega, Konami, and Namco Bandai are all hurting from their own bad decisions in recent years, so even if they show up for the bidding, they're likely going to be the broke guys in the back who are too embarassed to raise their hands...
For now, it looks like Sony, Nintendo, and Tecmo Koei are the biggest contenders.
So, if you had to pick a favorite in the ensuing bid war, who would you pick to acquire Atlus?
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