Atlus

SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators talk 2017 ambitions

December 27, 2016 by George

SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators where a part of a series of interviews conducted by the Japanese website 4Gamer, in where they listed their favorite games of 2016 and what they thought 2017 held for them as creators. The SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators that were included in the interviews included:

Toshihiro Nagoshi (Yakuza series general director)
Masayoshi Yokoyama (Yakuza 6 chief producer)
Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyo Puyo series general producer)
Shigeo Komori (First Production director at Atlus)
Kazuyuki Yamai (First Productiong director Atlus)

As a bonus, they even have Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who left SEGA over a decade ago but with the re-release of Rez Infinite it seems he can’t completely cut his ties with the company. If you didn’t know Rez Infinite is considered by many to be one of the best titles on PlayStation VR, so the game has gotten extra attention from mainstream media. Which of course is fantastic since he is a great creator. You can read what games these SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators liked in 2016 and what they hope to accomplish next year, read it all after the jump.

[Source: Gematsu]

Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” first artwork and details revealed

December 21, 2016 by George

A few days ago we told you that Atlus was working on a new fantasy based JRPG which would be developed by a new in-house team called Studio Zero and would be lead by in-house veteran designers. We now have more details on Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” which is the current title for the project. We do know that the game won’t be related to previous property and take place in a fantasy setting unlike their other Atlus games that take place in a modern world. Persona series producer and director Katsura Hasino, Persona artist Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro will all be working on the project.

Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” will have a live stream on December 23 at 20:00 JST (3am PST) and after that they will start large scale recruitment for the title. Seems that the project is still a ways off. Weekly Famitsu had an interview with Atlus’ company director and Studio Zero creative producer which you can read a translated version after the jump.

Below are scans of Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” Weekly Famitsu coverage:

[Via: Gematsu & Persona Central]

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New Atlus fantasy RPG to be announced on December 23rd

December 19, 2016 by George

Atlus teased that they have a brand new fantasy RPG to reveal, which they confirmed isn’t Persona or Megaten related. They revealed that the new Atlus fantasy RPG will be announced on December 23 at 20:00 JST (3AM PST) via their Niconico live stream.

This new upcoming Atlus fantasy RPG will come from a new production studio within the company called ‘Studio Zero’ which is led by Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino, who will serve as the game’s director and producer. The upcoming Weekly Famitsu issue will have a interview with Katsura Hashino and Atlus consumer software department supervisor Naoto Hiraoka. But seeing that Weekly Famitsu information always leaks early, expect more information later today.

Above is the first artwork shown for the game, illustrated by Persona 5 character designer Shigenori Soejima. You can check out Atlus’ teaser page for the project here. Hit the jump to read the message by Katsura Hashino in English.

[Via Gematsu]

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Persona 5 delayed to April 4th 2017, giving duel audio as free DLC

November 16, 2016 by FlareHabanero

Persona 5 has been announced in a recent stream by Atlus to be delayed to April 4th, 2017 in both Europe and America. However, on a brighter note, the game will include duel audio that contains the original Japanese and dubbed English, and will be available as free DLC at launch. Supposedly it was included as a request by people since the reveal of Persona 5, and was made possible through a “herculean effort from just about every division of Atlus”.

In addition, a playable demo for Persona 5 will be at the PlayStation Experience in Anaheim, with attendees receiving a collector’s card. They also state that a PS4 theme of Ryuji Sakamoto will be available on the Playstation Network for free for 24 hours (with a tongue-in-cheek claim that Atlus was breached), and they updated the “premium edition” with the final image, which can be viewed here.

So while Persona 5 being delayed (again) sucks, at least there’s a few things to keep you interested while you wait.

[Source: Playstation Blog]

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Atlus USA/Deep Silver releases Persona 5 “Game Mechanics Daily Life” trailer

November 16, 2016 by FlareHabanero

Persona 5 is still slated for a western release (By Atlus USA in America and Deep Silver in European countries) Feburary 2017, while Japan had the game since September. However, the official Youtube channels for Atlus USA and Deep Silver have released a new trailer to help tide over the wait. The trailer is a quick game mechanics overview of the recurring Social Link feature in the Persona series, where the player is tasked with having a normal life on their spare time while interacting with others. As the player bonds with friends and allies, the ranking between them will increase, which will provide the player with bonuses that can aid with combat or get new items. It may also lead to possible romance depending on your actions.

In addition Persona 5 shows off a few minigames, such as a pitching machine game and a fishing game. The pitching machine game involves you hitting a ball into a target to get the best score, and the fishing game trying to reel up the biggest catch.

SEGA News Bits: SEGA & Atlus Talk Nintendo Switch Support

October 28, 2016 by George

Welcome to a new episode of the SEGA News Bits, this time we will be talking about SEGA & Atlus pledging support for the Nintendo Switch console. We discuss what type of Nintendo Switch support we will like to see from both publishers, discuss what we thought about the announcement trailer and what this means for us SEGA fans. One thing we do know, Nintendo Switch support from 3rd parties is one thing they need to get right with this console. How would you want SEGA & Atlus to deliver Nintendo Switch support? What type of games will make you purchase on the console? Let us know!

Like our SEGA News Bits segments? Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an episode. Read more about Barry’s thoughts on the console here.

SEGA and Atlus talk Nintendo Switch support

October 23, 2016 by George

While we only have one SEGA title announced for the upcoming Nintendo Switch console/handheld hybrid entertainment system, it seems SEGA might have more games up their sleeves. Both SEGA and Atlus talk Nintendo Switch support earlier today.

SEGA had this to say:

“SEGA and Nintendo have been great partners over the years, and we continue to with our support of the Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific game plans soon, but have nothing further to announce at this time.”

While Atlus, who also announced support a few days ago when the console was first revealed said:

“We’re excited to be supporting the Nintendo Switch and believe the games we publish are a perfect fit for the portable nature of the console.”

While its not surprising seeing SEGA and Atlus talk Nintendo Switch support considering both publishers have supported Nintendo hardware over the past 10 years, Atlus really pused some amazing JRPGs on the Nintendo 3DS handheld. Seems that they are obviously excited to continue that relationship.

What SEGA and Atlus franchises would you like to see on the Nintendo Switch? Does the new console have you excited?

[Source: Siliconera]

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Atlus reveals Persona 5 English voice cast

October 19, 2016 by George

Atlus has now revealed the Persona 5 English voice cast, if you haven’t heard the western release will only be playable in English with the Japanese dub sold separately as DLC. That means that the Persona 5 English voice cast should at least be decent, since its the only option we poor westerners have.

Persona 5 English voice cast is:

Xander Mobus as the protagonist
Cassandra Morris as Morgana
Max Mittelman as Ryuji Sakamoto
Erika Harlacher as Ann Takamaki
Matt Mercer as Yusuke Kitagawa
Cherami Leigh as Makoto Niijima
Erica Lindbeck as Futaba Sakura
Xanthe Huynh as Haru Okumura
Robbie Daymond as Goro Akechi

Most of the voice actors have been doing JRPG dubs for quite awhile, one of the most noticeable games most of the actors/actresses share in common is that most of them did voice work for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Also Max Mittelman is doing the English voice work for Saitama from One Punch Man, which is one of the best recent anime shows. Above is a interview conducted by Atlus USA with Xander Mobus (recently played the announcer in Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS) , who is obviously playing the protagonist, aka the lead in Persona 5.

What are your thoughts on Atlus’ Persona 5 English voice cast and how do you feel about Japanese audio being DLC for the game? Let us know in the comments below!

Persona 5’s first week sales break franchise records in Japan

September 21, 2016 by George

While we have to wait until February of next year to play Persona 5, the title has already launched in Japan on September 15 and we already have the first week sales. According to media create, Persona 5 sold a total of 337,767 units on the games first week of release. Breaking it down by consoles it was released on, that means it did 264, 793 units on PlayStation 4 and only 72,974 units on PlayStation 3. Which is funny, considering that Atlus said the only reason Persona 5 appeared on PlayStation 4 was because of the SEGA buyout. Very good decision.

Here are the first week sales of all the other past Persona titles:

You can see how it stacks with the lifetime sales of the franchise over at Persona Central’s post. It will be interesting to see if Persona 5 outsells Yakuza 6, anything can happen. For example Yakuza 0 did 236,329 units the first week, while the main entry Yakuza 5 did 356,757 copies its first week (only on PlayStation 3). Do you think Yakuza 6 will do more than 337,767 units in Japan the first week? What do you think about the growing popularity of Persona series? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via Persona Central]

Review: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS)

September 19, 2016 by James Barton

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is not quite a sequel, side story, or even an expansion to the well-received Shin Megami Tensei IV.

If you took the movie Die Hard and filmed a What If ending showcasing what could happen if Reginald VelJohnson’s character Sgt. Al Powell had infiltrated the Nakatomi Plaza instead of waiting on the sidelines, then you would find yourself in a similar situation. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse uses this What If scenario to fine-tune the gameplay from its predecessors and treat players to a very satisfying RPG for the Nintendo 3DS.

Persona 5 collaborating with Phantasy Star Online 2

September 14, 2016 by George

Atlus has revealed during their latest NicoNico Livestream that their upcoming JRPG Persona 5 will be collaborating with not only Phantasy Star Online 2 but also Dragon’s Dogma and Lord of Vermilion Re:3.

The collaboration with Dragon’s Dogma Online seems to be the big collaboration since it will be part of the campaign. This tie-in will be released sometime during the fall, where players will get Persona 5 equipment and limited-time collaboration event. Vermilion Re:3‘s collaboration will take place during this winter, details on that will be arriving at a later date. As far as SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2 tie-in, that will be out this winter and is set to feature character costumes, hairstyles, accessories and even more Persona 5 collaboration items. For now you can see the nifty trailer, but sadly not much footage is shown on the Phantasy Star Online 2 tie-in.

Persona 5 hits Japan on September 15, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The game will release in North America and Europe on February 14, 2017.

[Source: Siliconera]

Persona 5 screens let you compare PS4 and PS3 versions

September 8, 2016 by George

Atlus has now opened up Persona 5 digital pre-orders for the game on both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 3 systems. That means that we get to see what Persona 5 looks like running on a PlayStation 3 and a PlayStation 4. You can see the Persona 5 screenshots below this article.

Atlus has also put up a Persona 5 20th Anniversary PlayStation Store edition for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. This version comes with the following items:

Persona 4 Costume & BGM Special Set
Persona 3 Costume & BGM Special Set
Orpheus & Orpheus Zokujin Set
Izanagi & Izanagi Zokujin Set
Persona 20th Anniversary All-Time Best Soundtrack
20th Anniversary Special Edition Limited Theme & Avatar Sets

Of course Persona 5 launches in Japan on September 15, 2016 for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The rest of the world has to wait all the way till February 14, 2017 to get our hands on this highly anticipated JRPG. As you can see from the screenshots after the jump, the game doesn’t look much different on either system. What do you think?

Etrian Odyssey V Debut Tops Japanese Charts

August 11, 2016 by George

It seems that Japan went crazy for Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey V: The End of the Long Myth as it was the top selling new game released in Japan last week. Etrian Odyssey V managed to sell 92,518 units. The chart tracked from August 1st to August 7th, considering Etrian Odyssey V came out on August 4th it would mean it did 92,518 units in only three days. In second place came Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball Fusions that manage to sell 77,509 copies. and that’s a game based on a highly popular IP.

It seems that the Nintendo 3DS can still move software since the top five selling games happen to be on the Nintendo 3DS. Etrian Odyssey V hasn’t gotten a western release date yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised when it does considering all the past titles in the series have been released outside of Japan.

To see the full Japanese sales charts, hit the jump.

[Via: Gematsu]

Persona 5 releasing in Europe the same day as US

August 9, 2016 by George

Publisher Deep Silver announced today that Atlus’ Persona 5 will launch in Europe and other PAL regions on February 14, 2017, which is the same day Persona 5 launches in the United States. Persona 5 will come out in Europe and PAL regions with a PlayStation 4 edition that costs €70 / £55, on the other hand the PlayStation 3 version will launch at €50 / £40.

The PlayStation 4 ‘Take Your Heart’ premium version of Persona 5 and the SteelBook launch edition will also make their way to Europe. The Take Your Heart premium edition will cost €90 / £80, click here for all the contents on that version. Persona 5 on the PlayStation 3 will be the only version to launch with its standard packaging (since first time buyers of the PlayStation 4 version get a SteelBook launch edition.)

If you are confused about why Deep Silver is publishing the game in Europe and not SEGA or Atlus, its because they announced their European publishing deal a few months ago. This is good news because it means that Europeans get to enjoy Persona 5 the same day as we Americans, but then again the Japanese get Persona 5 this September. Damn them.