Atlus Co. has found a new home.
Following a report by Nikkei (and a subsequent notice posted on Sega's website), word has spread that Sega Sammy Holdings has agreed to take control of Index Corporation, the bankrupt parent company of Atlus. Index filed for bankruptcy back in June, and reports as recent as last month had nearly 20 companies vying for bids on Atlus and its collected IPs, which include the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, the Persona series, Catherine, and Trauma Center, among many others.
The notice posted by Sega puts the sale at about ¥14 billion ($140 million), and pegs November 1 as the concluding date for transfer of assets.
Genuinely curious what everyone thinks of this particular company taking over Atlus' stable of games. Atlus is one of those companies that's built a fervent, dedicated audience primarily by being something of an outlier, or at least a publisher more dedicated to niche, wonderfully bizarre games that most major publishers generally wouldn't bother trying to bring out anywhere outside of Japan. Does having the House of Hedgehog lording over the likes of Persona give you pause? Or does this seem like a totally reasonable fit, considering how many other ways things could have played out?
(Image by McGenio, via DeviantArt)