Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

[Icemage]

According to Nikkei (JP business newspaper like the Wall Street Journal), Sega Sammy has purchased Index Holdings (including Atlus):

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Google translate gives me this:

"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.

　It fell into debt exceeded in failure of diversified management, index has applied to the Tokyo District Court to apply the Civil Rehabilitation Law in June. Liabilities at the time of application."

14b yen is about 141 million dollars or 88.7 million British pounds.

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Not sure how I feel about this. Sega is one of the more clueless publishers of late, and they have some of the worst localization track records.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

If they are smart - and this is Sega we're talking about - they'll keep Atlus and Atlus USA intact so they learn not only how to set business expectations within reality, but also learn to localize things people want in months rather than years. EU gamers whine a great deal about this. but with SMT IV and the forthcoming Etrian Odyssey Untold Atlus was just getting things to the point where releases from Japan were hitting the US two months after and Atlus had also just hooked up with NISA to get things out in EU territories faster.

My concern is that Sega has become a company that sits on its IPs, seldom brings the good ones west or does anything new. People are still sore about them sitting on VC3, Seventh Dragon and the Phantasy Star and Yakuza games come out years late rather than in a timely fashion.

This was a really great year as far as Atlus games went on the 3DS and I'd be a bit sad to see such strong RPGs die out on any platform Atlus touches. Atlus has a great gift for making the most daunting RPGs approachable, with strong characters, tight gameplay and good localization. It would suck to see that wither and fade under Sega's watch.

Sega has been great about embracing digital and the PC platform, though, so perhaps we'd see more of Atlus on the PC side of things.

[Firewind]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

Hey we might actually get timely releases with Atlus games now.

That said, Sega's handling of Total War: Rome II and rushing out an obvious beta that isn't even optimised to run on even beasts of gaming rigs, though to be fair Creative Assembly aren't blameless for this... I'm trying to stay optimistic about this, Creative Assembly have released optimisation and AI fixes very quickly and the game is slowly getting better...

I guess Cautious Optimism is how I feel about this. If Sega let Atlus continue as normal it would be fine. They also have the chance to really help out Atlus with getting their games out to wider audiences given that they can more easily publish in territories that Atlus couldn't easily do so before (like Europe or Australia). While I would have preferred someone like Grasshopper, I would have picked Sega before Nintendo or Sony, and way before Square Enix or Capcom.

[Malacite]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

I think Alpha Protocol left a bad taste in their mouth.

Personally I loved the game despite all its flaws, and Obsidian really wants another crack at it but it just didn't sell well enough - the reviews were some of the cruelest I'd seen in a while, completely melodramatic IMO (whereas ARR was rightly criticized in comparison).


It's a shame that the same company that once brought us Valkyria Chronicles has now become more like Activision - too scared to do new things unless they can profit off endless sequels. And before anyone points out that Destiny is technically a new IP, Bungie is hardly a newbie developer.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

Hey we might actually get timely releases with Atlus games now.

I think you missed the part with "Sega" in there. If they shutter Atlus USA and leave it to Sega of America to localize RPGs not only will most of them NOT come west they'll come over at the pace of Yakuza and Phantasy Star, with features possibly cut because "You western guys just wouldn't understand."

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EDIT: After looking around a bit, it looks like the aquisition changes very little from how Atlus really does things now. From what I've read more deeply of it. Atlus keeps its name, keeps doing its thing and the rest Index keeps focusing on what they did well. Sega did purchase Atlus for the IPs, but it appears they're not going to meddle in what already worked, though they occasionally push for some IPs to also enter the PC and mobile space, but chances are the PC mobile stuff wouldn't be taking time away from core projects for 3DS, Vita and consoles and be handed off to other teams under Sega Dream.

So it sounds like Atlus USA is safe. At least for now.

[Firewind]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

Sega are known for pushing what works and leaving developers to it, hence why most of the Rome II rage was at Creative Assembly and less so at Sega (who were responsible for the on disc DLC bullshit that I refuse to buy even though I'd love to play as Sparta because it's fucking Sparta).

Considering how buddy buddy Nintendo, Atlus, and Sega are lately, this actually gives a better chance of Persona landing on a Nintendo console than SMT landing on a Sony console. Good news for Nintendo fans. Bad news for people that were hoping they would be able to play the whole series on one handheld's Memory Card.

Though to be fair there aren't many other games that will fit on my Vita's Memory card because of that.

[Malacite]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

I still want Alpha Protocol 2, but SEGA told Obsidian flat-out: "NO!" ; ~ ;


Still waiting on Resonance of Fate 2 as well :/

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

Though to be fair there aren't many other games that will fit on my Vita's Memory card because of that.

C'mon you know you want to sell a kidney for that new 64GB card...

[Firewind]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

Going by the price I might have to sell more than just a kidney. I don't need a spleen right?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nikkei: Sega Sammy purchases Index (Atlus) for 14b yen.

I knew furry fandom would infect the news sooner or later, but at least this Kaneko-ish take on Sonic isn't as bad as pasting Sonic and Tails' head on Persona characters.



It is said before he became a demon, great electronic music followed him wherever he went, after becoming a demon cheesy 80s/90s rock now follows him.