ZombiePlatypus
Member
So, what does this mean for P5, and Catherine 2? I'm scared.
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Sega Sammy confirms that Sega Dream Corporation has fully acquired Index (Atlus)
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/sighs
Not looking forward to seeing Atlus' output getting the Valkyria Chronicles 3 / PSO2 / 7th Dragon treatment.
I hope Sega surprises me, but I'm expecting the worst.
I just can't see how Atlus fits into their scaled down Sonic / Aliens / mobile whatever vision...
Not looking forward to seeing Atlus' output getting the Valkyria Chronicles 3 / PSO2 / 7th Dragon treatment.
I hope Sega surprises me, but I'm expecting the worst.
I just can't see how Atlus fits into their scaled down Sonic / Aliens / mobile whatever vision...
P5? Crown jewel of the acquisition, easily.
Catherine 2? Does that exist? For that matter should it even be made?
It means the lights stay on, so P5 is coming out in both markets(this might be better for Atlus fans in Europe actually though!)
Nothing will stop the persona train, so that's never a worry. Sales are too good in both regions. Catherine was always an experiment. It's just as likely, if not more, that the Persona team will do some other crazy one off after P5 rather than Catherine 2. Makes no sense to make a sequel to that game. Seems much more likely that they have a spiritual sequel in terms of thematics, but have the game be standalone otherwise.
Actually, yeah, there's a reasonably good chance that this means at least games like Persona 5 get simultaneous NA/EU releases this time rather than being NA then hoping someone who works fast gets the EU rights.
Weren't there PC assets for the Cathy game? If so, believe.
charlequin
Banned
PSO2 is the one big localization failure of Sega in recent years that isn't ultimately understandable based on market conditions, but as a F2P title there's some definite factors that go into it that are rather unique compared to localizing packaged products.
Why would "shit" be "the worst"? You do understand the part where Index set the terms for its own sale and selected from amongst multiple bidders, with the intention of finding a buyer who would maintain continuity of the business, right?
Yup, to a certain degree it makes more sense for a company like Sega to cover the niche market (and the opportunities it presents to occasionally create breakout hits) via a subsidiary that is targeted purely at niche gaming, rather than trying to handle it through the same channels as their F2P and AAA titles.
Suggesting SquareEnix might be better is outrageous wishful thinking at best and rank ignorance at worst. Maybe you should let the people with an ounce perspective have this conversation?
Yeah, Yakuza is definitely different, but it's the best comparison we can make at the moment.
Though we could also look at the tons of handheld titles that Sega skipped out on over the years.
People keep bringing up the point that most of those games were on a dead system, but Sega abandoned PSP in 2009. I can't say how well Atlus's games had done, but seeing as they were content on releasing games through July of last year, I'd assume they were ok.
SpaceBridge
Member
So this is the last EO we will get then. Probably no more Devil Survivor, or a Dragons Crown sequel.
Is this true? In the US, bankrupt companies aren't given a choice. There's an auction and that's that. That's why THQ got busted up instead of being acquired whole.
BronsonLee
Member
Yup, totally needed to be left alone to die!
Almost zero. Those games would not work without a second mapping screen. You might be able to get away with it on the touch screen of something like a vita, but on PC? No. They'd have to add automapping which would be terrible.
About the same chance that we see Yakuza, Project Diva, Shining, Puyo Puyo, 7th Dragon, Virtua Fighter, Valkyria Chronicles, or Bayonetta on PC.
Pureauthor
Member
Dragon's Crown is Vanillaware.
Maybe not, they'd have the real estate to keep a portion of the screen there just for mapping purposes, though yeah they may just fall back on auto mapping and take part of the fun out.
And laws do vary from country to country for bankruptcy, though I imagine there's many possible arrangements to be made too. Does seem as if what happened with Atlus is what THQ WANTED to do but were told "nope."
SpikedGunner
Member
I'm sure if the amount of text to translate isn't the biggest hurdle for a Yakuza title localization, this would be it. Even if they decide to cover or change it, it still requires resources to do so,
Though DS bombing aside, I thought 3 and 4 did good numbers for what SEGA was expecting.
Baron Aloha
A Shining Example
Say what you want about SquareEnix but at least they localize a lot of games. They showed decent support for the PSP, DS, etc, so I'd have confidence that a good bit of Atlus' handheld titles would make it over. On the console side its been mostly Eidos keeping them afloat it feels like, with the JP side lacking,... but Atlus could fill that niche quite nicely IMO. Of the 3 companies I listed, I'd rank them last but I still think they'd be better than Sega. I just feel like I'd see more of Atlus' games over here if they owned them.
If they kept it on your screen, you'd have to draw your maps with a mouse. That would be icky on all sorts of levels. EO was a series made for the DS and can't really exist without it.
Developed, yes. The IP is most likely Sega's.
Well, V is supposed to be HUGE. Maybe if it was the same size as prior games it'd still have been fine, but it may've bloated up in text size and maybe even licensing that what was enough before isn't now.
Is that REALLY so bad? Mouse would be second best behind a stylus easily, better in some ways. I don't see why it'd be "icky", maybe if we were talking about an analog stick being used.
Except they didn't buy NIS, Idea Factory, or Spike Chunsoft.
Glass Rebel
Member
Not sure if this was posted but dualshockers (I hope this doesn't become a bunch of asterisks) has a summary of Atlus' statement:
- After thanking the customers for their support, and apologizing for the concern caused, Hiroaka-san explains that Atlus has a very good relationship with Sega and a considerable business synergy. By using Segas solid distribution network he expects the company to expand further.
- This new relationship will allow the two companies to complement each others niche in the consumer game business, and Segas Know-how will enhance Atlus brand.
[*]The continuity of Atlus business is considered to be in very good shape.
- At the moment all the employees of the consumer game department of the company are focusing on the development of future titles, and Atlus is looking forward to tackle new challenges in the future.
You really need that tactile nature for it to work. Dragging your mouse all around to draw your lines would get tiring quickly. Would ruin a lot of fun in that game.
This does not compute. It is different, but neither better nor worse. The motions involve different motor control skills that can perform similar functions in the game. The argument reminds me of people who say using mouselook in games is awkward and difficult compared to analog control sticks.
GeekyDad
Member
Ha, ha! Yeah, if you consider bankruptcy "so fine."
. . . How the fuck do you think people do work in CAD or computer animation?
Anyways you don't really do it THAT often in EO unless you're painstakingly creating a whole map at once, granted I do think it's more enjoyable to physically draw, but some thing would actually be superior like tile placement.
GayForMaster
Banned
Looks like this is the end of the Persona series. They're gonna drive the series into a pile of shit like they did with Sonic
wuxian fengguang
Neo Member
I hope Atlus as a whole stays mostly the way it is right now, I really think they carved out a nice niche for themselves in which they can continue to thrive. Might be naive, but who knows, maybe this might also mean Atlus will finally stop acting like Europe doesn't exist. 
SpikedGunner
Member
and again, it doesn't help that DS bombed harder than the rest, even if it was a spin-off.
I've got to wonder, what keeps them from distributing the games digitally to keep the costs low (or re-distributing the older titles to gauge interest and gain more sales to justify the project), I mean I'd like 5 to be retail, but at this point a release period would be ideal.
..(same with VC3, I'm still saying I'd buy a Vita if they release a compatible version)
Black Door
Banned
Persona Pachi-Slots, then Sega Dream is shuttered by 2017 due to "underperforming titles"
For the sake of conversation, let's not get into how Final Fantasy Type-0 was an unfortunate omission based on bad market realities and how Bravely Default and Dragon Quest VII 3DS were just flat out terrible omissions in every respect.
This entire line of thought assumes that Square Enix will keep Atlus solely the way it is now; a gaming company with a Japanese development branch and a good localization branch. The only reason Square-Enix even allowed Eidos to remain mostly intact was a combination of their console oriented focus and the fact that their Japanese side was considerably lagging in console output and needed some form of compensation (especially for the West). Of course, this didn't really stop them from passing the blame on poor sales or expectations mostly on Eidos in the past several reports, and outside of Thief 4, we haven't heard much from the Eidos pipeline (this is in contrast to the blitz of Deus Ex HR, Hitman, and Tomb Raider in the past few years). And this is even ignoring S-E's explicit desire to break into "persistent online experiences," microtransactions, and mobile (as if they really have a clue as to how to properly implement these ideals).
Instead, Atlus would add a niche focus that S-E certainly doesn't give a damn about these days. I mean, they have been kinda scaling back in terms of handheld development these days (instead of the days of TWEWY, FF4 DS, FFTA2, Revenant Wings, etc, you'll get Dream Drop Distance and Theatrythmn, with the futures of DQVIIR and Bravely Default either shoved off to other companies or in localization limbo). We already know that they're an absolute mess on the console side of the fence. And this is not even getting into them still not having anything to show for FFXV at TGS despite how the company gave assurances to the contrary literally weeks ago.
S-E right now is just an absolute mess of a company to the point where even us, normal gamers, can really see the problems as clear as day. And this ranges from absolute incompetent management where games can get announced despite not having shit to show for it for seven years, directors can continue to work on sub-series without taking an iota of criticism for improvement even despite its dwindling sales and base (Toriyama and the XIII series), already had a massive shit in corporate tone where you have the guy who was previously in-charge of counting the money now leading the company (hint hint, he's going to chase the money above all else), already spent almost all of their resources to fix one of the biggest MMORPG blunders of all time just to adhere to a P2P model that already poses problems in providing competition to its significant competitors (FFXIV endgame might result in the game hemorrhaging players if the team can't respond well or quick enough), and can't even provide a solid script of a future vision to follow without changing it up every single financial report.
And this is the company you would prefer Atlus to go to? This is beyond mere "well more stuff will be localized," this concerns how S-E is run as a business and how that would in turn effect Atlus for the worst.
One better. Perhaps for smart samsung TVs/DVD players. Call it a streaming application that draws the users into the game for a more realistic experience.
charlequin
Banned
Yeah, this will probably improve things for Europeans, on balance.
No, it's a bad comparison and it makes the conversation worse to keep making it.
Which is already after Western sales on the PSP took an upper deck.
That's... not even true. They left a significant portion of their DS stable in Japan, and they've now given up on handheld titles almost completely -- Bravely Default had to be brought over by Nintendo, and we're still waiting to see if they'll give DQ7 the same treatment (and DQ is actually one of the stronger sellers amongst niche titles in the US these days.) Type-0 has all the same PSP problems as VC, but has the advantage of probably being about 10 times more appealing in a vacuum, and it still hasn't made it over.
Then you're basing your opinion on a gut feeling without any factual backup.
Yet for companies like Atlus and Aksys, it was still a very viable platform.
BronsonLee
Member
You mean niche publishers with not nearly the sales expectations of a Sega? With games that sold better than the ones Sega was putting on PSP?
And even they have limits. Remember Jake Hunter for DS? Aksys not only came out with a game, they ended up coming out with a rerelease which added a ton of cases and side stuff. And even THAT didn't do enough for them to keep bringing em over.
tldr RIP Jake Hunter
Yes, that's my point.
I can't say how much they sold in comparison to Sega's games, but I can't imagine them being too far apart. And unlike Yakuza, these games are comparable.
Of course this is true as well, but prior to this, I would feel confident in seeing Devil Survivor Break Code or another Etrian Odyssey.And even they have limits. Remember Jake Hunter for DS? Aksys not only came out with a game, they ended up coming out with a rerelease which added a ton of cases and side stuff. And even THAT didn't do enough for them to keep bringing em over.
tldr RIP Jake Hunter
Now? I dunno.
Even if they do make it, will we see physical releases for those games in the future? It's hard to say, but things could be very different.
BronsonLee
Member
Don't cut my post off bitch~!
*throws large comical toy hammer*They still aren't comparable, though.
Edit: Ahh there we go
Busaiku said:
Well, hate to break it to you, but them's the breaks. That's what happens when your parent company goes splat.
The worst thing about suggesting Square Enix is, when you think about it, they were in a similar position as Atlus for a long time albeit bigger, being predominately a niche RPG developer/publisher with some bigger series to reliably bank on. That they essentially burned those bridges indicates that if anything they're moving away from what Atlus thrives on, and would only drag Atlus with them in that regard. Even if they DID still cover that area, well, they kind of have it covered: Atlus would just clog up the pipeline.
How does Legend of Grimrock do it (you can turn off automapping in that game)?
Oh... they make you draw it on a pen and paper.
How is something like 7th Dragon and Etrian Odyssey not comparable?Don't cut my post off bitch~!
They still aren't comparable, though.
Or Shining and Devil Survivor?
Of course, but this is just a bunch of us being sad that one of our favorite companies is probably gonna change drastically.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those crazies suggesting that Sega is the worst choice, I recognize that Square Enix or Capcom would've been much worse, but it's still not a good situation.
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