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[Update] Sega Says It's Learned From Atlus, Will Restore Trust With Fans
When Sega acquired Atlus in 2013, there were fears that the niche publisher would be transformed by its new parent. Through nearly two years of releases and an unwavering commitment to loyal fans, those concerns have largely been abated.
What few (if any) foresaw was that Atlus wouldn’t just thrive under Sega, but would play a role in reforming the Sonic publisher’s business. According to a Siliconera translation of a recent interview in Famitsu, Sega has watched how Atlus operates and will be incorporating successful practices into its own business.
“As far as the Western market goes, we learned a lot from Atlus,” says Sega Games CEO Haruki Satomi. “If we can make a title with proper quality, I believe there’s a good chance for it to do well even in the West for players that like to play Japanese games.”
Satomi also says that he recognizes over the last decade, Sega has “partially betrayed” the trust of long-time fans. Sega may have something to announce at Tokyo Game Show this year, but Satomi recognizes that its shift to greater quality and its efforts to make amends to fans will be a longer endeavor.
Note: In our original story, we incorrectly listed Sega Games CEO Haruki Satomi as Sega president and CEO Hajime Satomi. We regret the error, and the text has been corrected.
[Source: Siliconera]
Our Take
As an admirer of Atlus’ games and the way the company communicates with fans, this is a multi-faceted win for gamers. Atlus seems to have established itself in its new home with no outward facing changes, and it may help Sega return to the powerhouse it once was. If Satomi and his staff follow through on the sentiments in the Famitsu interview, it may very well be the salvation Sega fans have been waiting years for.
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