Atlus Games 2016: SEGA Is Keen To Publish Atlus Games In Europe

By R. Siva Kumar - 24 May '16 09:37AM

When it was disclosed end of April that NIS America would not publish Atlus games in Europe any longer, European fans of Atlus titles such as "Persona","Etrian Odyssey" and "Shin Megami Tensei" were at a loose end.

NIS America President and CEO Takuro Yamashita had announced the news, pointing out issues in working with SEGA after it was bought by Atlus in 2015. Hence, it decided to terminate the alliance between the two companies. However, this was met with much anxiety by fans, as NIS America has done wonders for Atlus in Europe in the past, releasing "Persona 4 Golden","Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight" and "Persona Q."

Hence, forthcoming releases such as "Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse","Etrian Odyssey V" and "Persona 5" are now uncertain. While importing games for PS3 or PS4 games was possible, though, at higher prices, it is now clear that the "region-locking for 3DS games" translates to fans of SMT, for instance, needing to not only import a copy of the game but also buy a completely new North American 3DS.

European Atlus fans may be relieved though that Sega seems to be interested in managing forthcoming European releases.

John Clark, SEGA senior vice president of commercial publishing, said that his company is keen on taking over NIS America's role for Atlus in Europe.

"We're very interested in bringing all of the group's Japanese content not just to the West, but to Europe in particular," he said. "We are always trying to find a way. And that's an ongoing process. That's something we are continually assessing and talking to and if there are really strong opportunities to support the Japanese content in Europe, we'll do it."

Even though this is cheering for the fans, it also means that SEGA Europe would take on publishing duties for Atlus games. This is not such good news SEGA Europe is known for delaying its release and its suboptimal service.

Hence, while fans in Europe would not have to import their Atlus games, they might have to go through shoddy service and delayed exchange.