While many are worried about the repercussions of Sega Sammy’s recent acquisition of Atlus, Naoto Hiraoka, the current head of consumer software for Atlus, says business will continue as usual.
As of yesterday, even after reports of its denial, Sega Sammy was confirmed the victor in the bid to acquire Index Corporation and all its properties. This led many to wonder just what is going to be changed, especially where it concerns the Atlus brand. Many feared the worst was going to happen when Sega Sammy confirmed they were going to take over the operations of Index on November 1st. Index itself owns and manages Atlus, along with popular Atlus franchises like Etrian Odyssey, Shin Megami Tensei, and the Persona series.
However, the fate of Index itself may not influence the Atlus brand. Naoto Hiraoka, who is also the president and CEO of Atlus U.S.A., assures fans that nothing will be drastically changed, saying the current Atlus unit will continue to focus on developing and delivering games. He also described the Atlus brand as having maintained good relations with Sega and believes the acquisition will be a potential boon for both parties. He especially focused on Sega’s strong distribution network as a benefit. Hiraoka did admit, however, that the current brand will become part of the Sega Sammy Group—more specifically, the new subsidiary Sega Dream.
Hiraoka closed with an apology for the worry fans are feeling right now and asks them to continue to support Atlus in the future. However, only time will tell just what kind of future is in store for Atlus and just what Sega Sammy may gain as this story develops.
