Atlus

This article is about the video game company. For the Arkansas wine region, see Altus AVA.
Atlus Co., Ltd.
株式会社アトラス
Kabushiki gaisha
Industry Video game industry
Founded 7 April 1986
5 September 2013
(as Sega Dream Corporation;
later renamed Index Corporation)
1 April 2014
(Index Corporation renamed Atlus)
Headquarters Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Key people
 Yukio Sugino (Representative director and president)
Products Megami Tensei series
Power Instinct series
Persona series
Trauma Center series
Etrian Odyssey series
Number of employees
 121[1] (April 2014)
Parent Sega
Website atlus.co.jp

Atlus Co., Ltd. (株式会社アトラス Kabushiki-gaisha Atorasu) is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher and distribution company based in Tokyo and a subsidiary of Sega. It is best known for developing the role-playing video game franchise Megami Tensei and the surgical simulation-visual novel franchise Trauma Center. Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco and based on a trilogy of novels; after the second game, Atlus formed to publish the series. Its corporate mascot is the Shin Megami Tensei demon, Jack Frost.

History

Stylized blue-and-red letters
Atlus' former logo, in use until April 2014

In October 2003, Takara acquired Atlus.[2] On 21 November 2006 Index Holdings announced the acquisition of Atlus, effective on 30 October, and purchased 7.7 million shares (54.93 percent; 77,000 votes, or 54.96 percent of the voting rights) on 20 November 2006. Atlus became an Index Holdings subsidiary on 29 November 2006.[3]

On 15 April 2010, Index Holdings announced that Atlus would became a subsidiary of Index Holdings on 10 May.[4][5] On 30 August 2010 Index Holdings announced its merger with Atlus and Index Corporation, with Index Holdings the surviving company, effective on 1 October.[6][7][8] After the merger, Index Corporation would continue to operate Atlus under the Atlus brand.[9] Although fans were concerned about the company's future, Atlus CEO Shinichi Suzuki said that Atlus would continue to provide the "finest quality game experiences possible" and the merger "further strengthens the foundation of Atlus, both in Japan and here in the United States."[10] On 9 November 2010 Index Holdings (株式会社インデックス・ホールディングス) announced its renaming to Index Corporation (株式会社インデックス), to be confirmed at the shareholders meeting on 25 November 2010 and effective on 1 December.[11][12]

From 2010 to 2013, Atlus was a brand of Index Corporation. In June 2013 it was reported that Index filed for civil rehabilitation proceedings, facing bankruptcy with debts of ¥24.5 billion. An Atlus spokesperson said that Index Digital Media and the Atlus brand were unaffected by the proceedings.[13] On September 18, 2013, it was reported that Sega Sammy Holdings won a bid to acquire the bankrupt Index for ¥14 billion.[14] All Index operations, including the Atlus brand and Index Digital Media (Atlus USA), transferred to Sega Dream Corporation (a new subsidiary of Sega Corporation) on November 1, 2013.[15] That day, Sega announced that it would change the name of Sega Dream Corporation to Index Corporation.[16]

On February 18, 2014, Sega announced the separation of Index Corporation's contents and solution businesses into a new subsidiary, Index Corporation (株式会社インデックス), renaming the old Index Corporation and its remaining digital game business division Atlus (株式会社アトラス) effective April 1, 2014. The new Atlus would include the foreign subsidiary (Index Digital Media), which would be renamed Atlus U.S.A. at the establishment of the new Atlus.[1]

Former subsidiaries and activities

On 17 September 2009 Index Holdings announced the separation of Atlus' amusement facility and related business into a subsidiary, New Entertainment Waves,[17] (株式会社NEWS) effective on 1 December. One hundred seventy-two shares (86 percent) of the subsidiary's stock were also transferred to Chushoukigyou Leisure[18] on 1 December.[19]

On March 20, 2007 Marvelous Entertainment announced a restructuring plan which would transfer amusement business to Atlus by moving it to Mad (株式会社マッド, an amusement-facility operator) as a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment, effective on June 1. The remaining businesses would operate under Marvelous Entertainment.[20] The transfer also included the sale of the Third Planet (株式会社ザ・サードプラネット) amusement operations, effective July 1, 2007.[21] Atlus announced a merger of Mad into Atlus, effective on September 1, 2007 and registered on September 3.[22]

Atlus published Growlanser, a real-time strategy role-playing game from Career Soft (creators of the Langrisser series). After the success of the first game they acquired Career Soft, who developed the second through fifth installments in-house. In Japan in March 2009, Atlus and Sting Entertainment announced a publishing partnership making Atlus the only publisher of Sting-developed games. Before this Atlus had published Sting games, including Yggdra Union and Dokapon.[23]

Atlus USA

Advertising display at a trade fair
Atlus USA booth at E3 2006

Atlus U.S.A., Inc. (Index Digital Media from 2010 to 2014), established in 1991 and based in Irvine, California, is the American subsidiary of Atlus and publishes games created by Atlus and other developers. As a publisher, Atlus USA localizes obscure or niche titles from other Japanese developers.

A number of Megami Tensei games have not been released in North America. During the 1990s, Jack Bros. for Virtual Boy, Revelations: Persona for PlayStation and Revelations: The Demon Slayer for the Game Boy Color were the first three games in the series to have a North American release. The 2004 release of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne was the first main-series video-game release in the U.S.[24] Since then most of the series has also been released in the U.S., including Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

Atlus USA's best-known work is their localization of the cult classic Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, created by Nippon Ichi Software.[25] The company have also published the tactical role-playing game Tactics Ogre and Game Boy Advance remakes of the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon games for Million (a company composed of former Technōs Japan employees). Other notable titles include Snowboard Kids and Snowboard Kids 2 (for Nintendo 64) and Odin Sphere and the Trauma Center series. Atlus USA released Riviera: The Promised Land, a role-playing video game for the Game Boy Advance previously released for the Wonderswan Color, in 2004 in collaboration with Sting and Bandai. In 2006 Atlus USA and Sting released Yggdra Union, a strategy role-playing game (RPG) for the Game Boy Advance.[26] After Working Designs' publication of Growlanser Generations, they released Growlanser: Heritage of War in 2005 and Growlanser Wayfarer of Time in 2012.

The company established an online division, including the Atlus Online portal which is servicing Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine.[27] On 31 March 2013, Index Digital Media's Atlus Online Division was purchased by Marvelous AQL and transferred to XSEED.[28] Atlus USA has published games under the Marl Kingdom name, beginning with Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure in 2000.[25] On February 18, 2014 Sega announced that Index Digital Media would be renamed Atlus USA.[1]

Marketing

Smiling, waving cartoon face next to the word "Atlus"
Jack Frost in a version of the company logo

Jack Frost is the Atlus mascot.[27] Resembling a snowman, he has teeth, a tail and no nose, and wears a joker hat, collar, and shoes. His catchphrase is "Hee-Ho". He has appeared in several Atlus Shin Megami Tensei-series and Jack Bros. games. Jack Frost is a hidden character in the North American and Japanese versions of SBK: Snowboard Kids, with a larger role in the Japanese version. He has a family; more relatives were created since Shin Megami Tensei II, including King Frost, Frost 5 Senshi and Ja-aku Frost (Black Frost). The character makes a cameo appearance as a button on the clothing of the gunner class in the Atlus game Etrian Odyssey II.

Games developed and published by Atlus

Main article: List of Atlus games

Animations and films based on Atlus games

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 連結子会社の分割（新設分割）及び商号変更に関するお知らせ
  2. ↑ 沿革：株式会社アトラス　IR情報・会社情報
  3. ↑ "Regarding tender offer results and subsidiary companies" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. ↑ 株式交換公告
  5. ↑ 公開買付けの結果及び子会社の異動に関するお知らせ
  6. ↑ 当社連結子会社の吸収合併に関するお知らせ （簡易合併・略式合併）
  7. ↑ インデックス・ホールディングス、連結子会社の吸収合併に関するお知らせ ～グループ価値最大化を図りインデックス、アトラスの２社を吸収合併～
  8. ↑ "Atlus Dissolved by Parent Company". 1UP. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  9. ↑ 【補足】インデックス・ホールディングス、連結子会社の吸収合併に関するお知らせ アトラスブランドについて
  10. ↑ "Atlus Reassures Fans Of Its Future After Merger". 1UP. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  11. ↑ 商号変更および定款一部変更に関するお知らせ
  12. ↑ "Index Holdings to Change Company Name". Reuters. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Emily Gera (27 June 2013). "Atlus at risk after parent company announces bankruptcy (update) Index". Vox Media. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  14. ↑ Shigeru Sato & Takahiko Hyuga (18 September 2013). "Sega Said to Win Auction to Buy Bankrupt Japan Gamemaker Index". Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Notice of Conclusion regarding Business Transfer Agreement of Index Corporation" (PDF). Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  16. ↑ 当社子会社の事業譲受に関するお知らせ (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. 1 November 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  17. ↑ 株式会社ＮＥＷＳ 訂正臨時報告書 2010年10月08日 - 投資関係をなんとなくわかった気になる
  18. ↑ 当社子会社（株式会社アトラス）における 会社分割によるアミューズメント施設関連事業の分社化、並びに新設株式会社株式譲渡に関するお知らせ
  19. ↑ 株式会社NEWS（ニューズ）設立
  20. ↑ 会社分割によるアミューズメント事業部門の一部分社化 並びに新設株式会社株式譲渡について (29.38KB)
  21. ↑ アミューズメント事業部門の一部事業譲渡に関するお知らせ (21.37KB)
  22. ↑ 当社100％子会社との合併に関するお知らせ
  23. ↑ "Atlus Partners with Sting". IGN. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  24. ↑ "Megami Tensei/Shin Megami Tensei". Hardcoregaming101.net. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Nippon Ichi". Hardcoregaming101.net. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  26. ↑ "RPGFan News – E3 2006". 2006. Archived from the original on 18 September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Atlus Online Open For Business". Kotaku. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  28. ↑ 当社子会社によるIndex Digital Media,Inc.（米国）のオンラインゲーム事業取得に関するお知らせ

External links