The odysseys will continue on

With news that Sega Sammy has acquired Atlus’s parent company, Index still being freshly digested by many, Atlus President and CEO Naota Hiraoka has released a statement addressed to the company’s fans and customers.

Hiraoka gives a brief recap of Index’s troubles and how Atlus will continue under Sega beginning 1st November, then apologizes for any turmoil the uncertain times may have caused among fans:

Atlus has consistently received support and praise from our Faithful and our respected customers, and made great progress in recent years. So the recent incident must have surprised and worried all of you dearly. For that, I would like to express my deepest apologies.

The CEO goes on to say that Atlus and Sega have fostered a “great relationship” in the past, especially in Japan, and expresses optimism regarding the new pairing:

I believe the collaboration between the two companies at this time will be mutually beneficial for the following reasons:

Sega understands our drive to achieve quality and to expand awareness of the Atlus brand.

Our respective strengths in game development complement each other well.

As for now, at least, it sounds like Atlus will continue business as usual, with Hiraoka saying that its Japan division will continue focusing on future games and taking on new challenges:

We are extremely happy to be able to continue with our business, and be able to report this good news to our fans and customers. Again, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported us.

It’s currently unknown whether Sega’s ties with Nintendo will carry over and affect any future projects from Atlus, but who cares right now? If the tone of Hiraoka’s statement is to be taken at face value, there are plenty of people who are humbly thankful this week to be able to continue making games, and that’s a victory all its own.

What do you think of Atlus’s statement? Let us know below.

[source kotaku.com]