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SEGA Sammy acquires Index (Atlus) for 14 billion yen, now a subsidiary of Sega

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By taking a franchise that sells into a very specific market, and whose selling points are heavily connected to a certain type of console production values, and handing it over to a platform-holder that does not (and will not in the foreseeable future) have a successful console?

If your analysis of that is that people are "butthurt," you basically don't have a clear enough picture of the situation to talk about it.
What series are you talking about? :p
 

Kusagari

Member
As has been said, I don't expect them to change much with Atlus in Japan. I wouldn't worry about them making Atlus start doing Sonic RPGs or some crap.

The bigger issue here is clearly Atlus USA and we can all only hope for the best there.
 

Risette

A Good Citizen
How would Nintendo kill the Persona series? They've been very supportive of SMT theres no reason to believe they wouldn't support Persona equally especially given its standing. The only way Persona would be killed would be all the butthurt people who refuse to buy it for being on a Nintendo system. SMT transitioned well from Playstation to Nintendo theres no reason to believe Persona wouldn't have done the same.
Persona is a pretty successful-and-growing cross-media franchise that Nintendo would have no idea how to capitalize on. The scope is bigger than just games, and Nintendo has no experience outside of that.
 

Silky

Banned
By taking a franchise that sells into a very specific market, and whose selling points are heavily connected to a certain type of console production values, and handing it over to a platform-holder that does not (and will not in the foreseeable future) have a successful console?

If your analysis of that is that people are "butthurt," you basically don't have a clear enough picture of the situation to talk about it.

Consoles, sure, but handhelds? I can't see MegaTen on Wii-U, but would the 3DS really kill Atlus?
 
fry_screaming_in_horror.gif






please dont fuck up, Sega!
 
Persona is a pretty successful-and-growing cross-media franchise that Nintendo would have no idea how to capitalize on. The scope is bigger than just games, and Nintendo has no experience outside of that.
Uh, that's not true.

Edit: Pokemon, Animal Crossing movie, Kid Icarus: Uprising shorts, Kirby anime, various Legend of Zelda manga, etc.
 

Bruno MB

Member
Looking at Etrian Odyssey III from the same banned site, a game from about the exactly the same time, it apparently sold 91k vs VCII's 86k. That may not seem like a huge difference, but the EO games (before Untold anyway) had very little dialogue, text or VA. They likely cost considerably less to localize. I wonder what could have been done with VC if Atlus had their hands on it?

Actual Etrian Odyssey III sales figure is around 22,000 units sold.

That banned site is banned for a reason. Don't waste the time checking their ridiculous make up data.
 

Eusis

Member
By taking a franchise that sells into a very specific market, and whose selling points are heavily connected to a certain type of console production values, and handing it over to a platform-holder that does not (and will not in the foreseeable future) have a successful console?

If your analysis of that is that people are "butthurt," you basically don't have a clear enough picture of the situation to talk about it.
I dunno, Persona hasn't exactly been high end and in the short term I doubt 5 would need serious compromises (if any) to be thrown on Wii U instead. And I imagine the base is strong enough they WOULD move to Wii U for it, though there'd almost certainly be a hit.

Similarly I don't think the handheld stuff is inherently doomed as Sony seems to be pushing the Vita strongly enough, but as those titles are generally smaller than Persona I do suspect that they're more likely to be killed by any fanbase drop offs. But like I noted at a minimum games will vanish from one store or the other and no longer be in print, and with us having a stronger DD push now it WILL fuck things up even in a best (realistic) scenario. Best unrealistic scenario is either they make a super special Atlus exception to platform exclusives or port everything near-flawlessly to the other platforms, so everyone gets P4G on Wii U (hahaha at running on 3DS) and their PSP output on 3DS, but if we lived in a world of fantasy like that we'd also see GTAV crowds for the midnight launch of Persona 5 and for Atlus becoming the biggest game publisher period, and we know that won't happen.
Actual Etrian Odyssey III sales figure is around 22,000 units sold.

That banned site is banned for a reason. Don't waste the time checking their ridiculous make up data.
I swear, if I could eliminate JUST ONE gaming site from the internet entirely it'd be THAT site. So frustrating they run with their numbers as if they're real and people will buy into it even here while knowing they're banned.
 

PKrockin

Member
Nintendo doesn't really have any of their first-party studios make games like Persona do they? It seems their first parties usually stick with G and PG style content.

Didn't they acquire a dev a few years back that makes horror games? Fatal Frame? Spirit Camera or something? That's the only one I can think of.
 

Biker19

Banned
Spending all this yen on Atlus but can't localize Yakuza 5.

Get your shit together Sega.

Import it (if there's a European or a Asian version, import one of those versions instead, as those versions also have English translations).
 

breakfuss

Member
I hope you didn't think this was funny.

It wasn't until you responded. All these *sensitivities*.

And what's with people acting like Sega just didn't save Atlus. Who better to buy them? One of the big three? No. This seems like a good fit to me.
 
So...is there any reason I shouldn't start fearing for the worst immediately at the thought at never seeing another Atlus game in english again? Because that's how I feel.
 

Mesoian

Member
I feel like, for the first time in a long time, I need to go out and buy Wonderful 101, because if I don't, these games are going to go away.

Ugh, this is depressing. This is..those are the worst hands to be at the wheel of atlus.

Oh man.

So...is there any reason I shouldn't start fearing for the worst immediately at the thought at never seeing another Atlus game in english again? Because that's how I feel.

Nope. That is exactly how you should feel right now.

It wasn't until you responded. All these *sensitives*.

And what's with people acting like Sega just didn't save Atlus. Who better to buy them? One of the big three? No. This seems like a good fit to me.

Yes...the company that doesn't release it's AAA titles outside of it's own country in any way shape or form unless it's guaranteed to sell at least a million at the helm of a game developer that specializes in niche games with very specific audiences.

The best fit. The best.
 

Silky

Banned
Persona is a pretty successful-and-growing cross-media franchise that Nintendo would have no idea how to capitalize on. The scope is bigger than just games, and Nintendo has no experience outside of that.

Please. Just....wow....really?
 
What do you mean by this?

Persona has full voice acting. It's made on the relative cheap but it's done up to look more expensive than it is. It has big fancy anime sequences and vocal music and fancy menus. (It also sells significantly better than basically any adult-oriented handheld series does in the US.)

Consoles, sure, but handhelds? I can't see MegaTen on Wii-U, but would the 3DS really kill Atlus?

I didn't say it would kill Atlus, but becoming 3DS-exclusive would effectively kill the Persona IP.
 

TaroYamada

Member
Let's be fair: Sega-Sammy sucked in the 00's. But recently they've been pretty good. They gave Arc back the Guilty Gear IP. They haven't done too much with their PC developers, something SEGA (-Sammy) never had experience in before.

I'd say this is more a "wait and see" before doing the doom and gloom dance over the next year or two for Atlus and their titles.

SEGA's been in PC for nearly 20 years. SegaSoft was started in 95 and was pretty heavily invested in the space, ran heat.net, funded a variety of games and original IP. Even produced an MMO called 10Six.
 

sub_o

Member
This (and its other two console equivalents) is easy the least sensible of the nonsensical things people have to say about this. Given the platform strategy and type of development Atlus do, any platform-holder would dramatically reduce their options and cut into their ability to maintain their existing franchises.



Yes, Sega paid $140 million to do literally nothing and kill all of Atlus' franchises for no reason.

My worries is sadly based on how Sega managed their own IPs.
  • Valkyria Chronicles shrunk from console to handheld games
  • Still no words about Yakuza 5's localization for almost a year after its JP release
  • Kenzan and Kurohyou will probably never be released outside of Japan
  • Weirdly enough they decided to localize Yakuza Dead Souls
  • Still no info on PSO2 for western release.
  • Bayonetta 2 was cancelled due to Sega's restructuring
  • Anarchy Reigns delayed release outside of Japan for no reason
  • Aliens Colonial Marines kerfuffle. Well to be fair, that might be more of Gearbox's kerfuffle.

Remember that Sega have just restructured their western operations last year. Buying Index might be a great business decision though.

Persona and SMT might probably still come out, but how probable will they be localized considering Sega's flagship Yakuza 5 and PSO2 have been experiencing localization delays.

Let's hope for the best, but I'm not having high expectation
 

DSveno

Banned
Spending all this yen on Atlus but can't localize Yakuza 5.

Get your shit together Sega.

Now if each of you buy 100 copies each, then maybe we will have a chance.

Despite the outcry, I feel like it's only about 50 or so (including me) actually played the damn game around here.
 

sörine

Banned
And what's with people acting like Sega just didn't save Atlus. Who better to buy them? One of the big three? No. This seems like a good fit to me.
I think I have to agree. Looking at the field, Sega does come out ahead of the console makers, the other bigger Japanese publishers and the large western publishers. Plus they have some history with Atlus which is nice.

I'm really mainly worried about Atlus USA.
 

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
Isn't that handled by The Pokemon Company?

And who created the Pokemon Company to handle it?

And who has tons of franchises with a history of merchandise and multimedia efforts?

If anything, Nintendo is the one company with the most experience with cross-media efforts. (not that I'm arguing that they should've bought Atlus, that's crazy talk. I'm just pointing out that your counter argument is just wrong).
 

Soule

Member
I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of the increased likelihood of getting Atlus franchises on PC. Make it so Sega and then I'm totes happy with this acquisition :D
 

WolvenOne

Member
Not surprised, and it's not altogether bad news. Since Atlus USA has a number of assets and staff I cannot see Sega getting rid of them altogether. It's more likely that they'll merge it into the Sega's US publishing division, which could mean any number of things.
 
I dunno, Persona hasn't exactly been high end and in the short term I doubt 5 would need serious compromises (if any) to be thrown on Wii U instead.

Yeah, the problem with putting it on the Wii U is that the Wii U is a gigantic failure.

Please. Just....wow....really?

I think it's entirely accurate to say that Nintendo's expertise, and the type of expertise necessary to manage and grow a franchise like Persona, do not really overlap tremendously.
 
sörine;82432393 said:
I think I have to agree. Looking at the field, Sega does come out ahead of the console makers, the other bigger Japanese publishers and the large western publishers. Plus they have some history with Atlus which is nice.

I'm really mainly worried about Atlus USA.

An Atlus that never localizes any of its game is the same as a nonexistant one to 99% of people.
 

R.I.P

Member
Just woke up and saw this, pretty mixed feelings right now. Hopefully Sega will just let Atlus do their thing and maybe even let Atlus USA localize Yakuza games...ahhaha nope it's fucking Sega :(
 

Wilsongt

Member
My worries is sadly based on how Sega managed their own IPs.
  • Valkyria Chronicles shrunk from console to handheld games
  • Still no words about Yakuza 5's localization for almost a year after its JP release
  • Kenzan and Kurohyou will probably never be released outside of Japan
  • Weirdly enough they decided to localize Yakuza Dead Souls
  • Still no info on PSO2 for western release.
  • Bayonetta 2 was cancelled due to Sega's restructuring
  • Anarchy Reigns delayed release outside of Japan for no reason
  • Aliens Colonial Marines kerfuffle. Well to be fair, that might be more of Gearbox's kerfuffle.

Remember that Sega have just restructured their western operations last year. Buying Index might be a great business decision though.

Persona and SMT might probably still come out, but how probable will they be localized considering Sega's flagship Yakuza 5 and PSO2 have been experiencing localization delays.

Let's hope for the best, but I'm not having high expectation

Let's not forget that Sega took a giant shit on English-speaking Shining fans. After two very large and heart-felt campaigns to Sega to do something about the Shining series, they turn around and refuse to localize anything after Shining Force Exa (having skipped Shining Wind entirely), and then proceed to attack Shining Force III/Shining the Holy Ark Youtube uploads when they were trying to promote Shining Ark.

Sega Japan has some serious issues when it comes to actually listening to their fan bases.
 

Silky

Banned
Yes? How would you argue the contrary? The Mario Bros. movie?

She's right. Nintendo has generally not handled niche titles very well.

I'm reffering to that in regards to: "a pretty successful-and-growing cross-media franchise that Nintendo would have no idea how to capitalize on."

Outside of Pokemon, it could be argued that Nintendo's IPs has branched out alot much more outside of video games? I mean doesn't Nintendo make a lot of money and have a lot of brand recognition with stuff like Merchandising,?
 
Now if each of you buy 100 copies each, then maybe we will have a chance.

Despite the outcry, I feel like it's only about 50 or so (including me) actually played the damn game around here.

RGG5? I bought and played it, too. But I'm sick of the whiners. The series sells like shit outside Japan, face facts.
 
Saying Nintendo doesn't understand cross-media is idiocy, but saying Nintendo specifically doesn't understand cross-media needed to promote a brand like Persona is a lot more defendable.
 
Yes? How would you argue the contrary? The Mario Bros. movie?

How about the one that is the epitome of cross-media franchise? The one with the long running TV show, (over?) a dozen movies, a manga series, a trading card game, and more miscellaneous merchandise than you can possibly fathom? I think someone mentioned it.
 
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