Atlus

(Redirected from Atlus Sound Team)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Not to be confused with Atlas.

Atlus Co., Ltd.,[c] stylized as ATLUS, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is responsible for producing most games in the Megami Tensei franchise.

History

As an independent company

This section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
No reason provided.

Under Takara

This section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
No reason provided.

Atlus was acquired by Takara Co., Ltd. in 2003.

Under Index

See also: Index

Index Holdings acquired Atlus from Takara in 2006. Atlus was dissolved and merged into Index in 2010.[2] While Atlus no longer existed as a company, Index would continue to use it as a brand name.

In June 2013, it was reported that Index Corporation filed for civil rehabilitation proceedings, facing bankruptcy with debts of ¥24.5 billion.[5] In September 2013, Sega announced their acquisition of Index Corporation at a reported value of ¥14 billion.[6] Index's business operations would be transferred to Sega Dream Corporation in November 2013 (which was renamed to Index Corporation at the same time), and this new Index Corporation would be renamed to Atlus in April 2014.

Under Sega

This section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
No reason provided.

Atlus Game Music

Atlus Game Music is a record label that distributes Atlus soundtracks worldwide. In addition to releasing music for modern releases, the label also redistribute soundtracks from past titles Atlus has been involved in, and shares information about live performances and other events related to the company.[7] The label's first published work was the "Ambitions and Visions" digital single in April 2024, and they have since published all soundtracks for released Atlus games. The official website for the label was created in July 2024,[8] and the YouTube channel was created in March 2025.[9] Their twitter account, @ATLUS_Gamemusic, was originally used by the Atlus Show Team[d] before it was repurposed as the Atlus Game Music account in 2024.[8]

Production teams

This section is in need of research.
Reason: Needs more info, see [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]

Historical

Research and Development 1

Logo

Research and Development 1,[e] called R&D1 for short, was a division of Atlus which developed the majority of Atlus's in-house games, including the Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Summoner, Persona, and Digital Devil Saga series. The last Megami Tensei game to be credited to Research and Development 1 was 2005's Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2, with the last game overall being 2005's PSP version of Princess Crown.

Development Division

Around 2005, Atlus's multiple development groups were consolidated into the Development Division, known in full as the CS Department Development Group.[f][g] The last Megami Tensei game to be credited to the Development Division was 2009's Persona 3 Portable, with the last game overall being 2011's Catherine.

Current

Atlus 1st Production

Atlus 1st Production,[h] also known as Team Maniax, is a part of Atlus's Creative Department. The first game to be credited to 1st Production was 2012's Nintendo 3DS version of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. The division currently is headed by Shinjiro Takata and is responsible for all mainline installments in the Shin Megami Tensei series and the Devil Summoner series, as well as other works like Etrian Odyssey.

Atlus 2nd Production

Logo

Atlus 2nd Production, also known as P・STUDIO or Persona Team, is a part of Atlus's Creative Department. The P-Studio trademark was filed and obtained in 2012[10] and first credited on Persona 4 Golden, and the team has since developed subsequent titles in the Persona series. The team was founded by director Katsura Hashino and originally consisted of developers who had worked on Persona 3, Persona 4, and Catherine; it has been led by Kazuhisa Wada since Hashino's departure in 2016.

Atlus 3rd Production

Atlus 3rd Production, also known as Studio Zero, is a part of Atlus's Creative Department. The division was founded in 2016 by former P-Studio leader Katsura Hashino with the goal of creating RPGs that are unconnected to the Persona or Shin Megami Tensei series. The studio's first credited game was Catherine: Full Body in 2019, and the first game fully developed by the division was Metaphor: ReFantazio in 2024.

Atlus Sound Team

Atlus Sound Team is an internal division of composers and sound designers that work on all titles produced by Atlus. The group has been credited as the composer for game soundtracks since the release of the Gouketsuji Ichizoku soundtrack in 1994, and has published albums under the Atlus Game Music label since April 2024.

In North America

Asuka Technologies Inc.

Initially, Atlus did not publish its own games in the west. Atlus in North America began as Accel Computer Corporation in February 1989,[11] before changing its name to Asuka Technologies Inc. in February 1990.[11][12] As Asuka, the company produced scanner hardware, including equipment for Apple and IBM.[13] In May 1990, Asuka filed a trademark for "ATLUS" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office,[14] which became officially registered in June 1992.[15] The game Cosmo Tank, developed by Atlus in Japan, was published by Asuka in North America in September 1990, and was the only game to be published under the company. Asuka Technologies filed for termination in March 1991 and was dissolved in March 1992;[11] its trademark was transferred to Atlus Software, Inc. in April 1991, and was last renewed by Atlus Co., Ltd. in October 2022.[15]

Atlus Software, Inc.

Atlus Software, Inc. was founded in January 1991 as a North American branch of Atlus Co., Ltd. (using the same office formerly used by Asuka Technologies),[11] and its first game published was Spud's Adventure, a spinoff of 1989's Puzzle Boy, which had been published in the west by Acclaim as Kwirk. Along with publishing Atlus's own games, it also localized and published titles by other developers. Atlus Software, Inc. would be absorbed into Atlus Co, Ltd. in June 1996;[11] Atlus Co., Ltd. would directly publish games in the west (using the same office formerly used by Atlus Software) until Atlus U.S.A., Inc. was founded in March 1999.

Atlus Dream Entertainment

Atlus Dream Entertainment Co., Ltd. was a subsidiary of Atlus Co., Ltd. established in October 1997,[16] co-owned by Atlus, Sega, Itochu, and The Prime Co., Ltd.[17] This division was primarily responsible for distributing and localizing Atlus's arcade games, with focus on the Print Club and Nail More lines of photo booths.[18]

In November 1997, Atlus Dream Entertainment Co., Ltd. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against SNK Corp. of America and American Photo Booths Inc. (APBI).[19] Atlus Dream claimed exclusive rights to U.S. Patent No. 5,386,386, involving certain technology used in their photo booth kiosks. The company alleged that SNK's NeoPrint machines, which debuted in the U.S. before Print Club, infringed on this patent. SNK, in response, filed a counterclaim, claiming that the patent was both invalid and not infringed by their products. The dispute centered around the validity of the patent, with SNK suggesting that prior on-sale activities might render the patent invalid under the on-sale bar doctrine, which prevents the patenting of inventions that were sold or offered for sale more than a year before the patent application. Information found during the case's discovery phase led Atlus Dream to voluntarily dismiss its infringement claims and SNK's counterclaims for declaratory judgment, acknowledging the potential issues surrounding the patent's validity. Subsequently, SNK amended its complaint to include claims for malicious prosecution, alleging that Atlus Dream had falsely asserted exclusive rights and that the patent in question was invalid. Atlus Dream and APBI came to an agreement to cross-license the patent in August 1998,[20] and Atlus Dream and SNK settled out of court in October 1998.[21]

Atlus Dream defaulted on its payments in December 2000 after failing to repay a bank loan, forcing Atlus. Co., Ltd. to repay the $7.9 million in debt.[22] Atlus Dream was downsized and eventually closed in 2003, merging with and taking the name of Atlus Holding, Inc.

Atlus Holding, Inc.

Atlus Holding, Inc. was a holding company established in April 1999 to maintain Atlus U.S.A., Inc.[23] After merging with Atlus Dream in March 2003, the company remained as Atlus Holding until it was absorbed by Atlus U.S.A. in April 2017.[11][24]

Atlus U.S.A.

Main article: Atlus U.S.A.

Atlus U.S.A., Inc. was founded in March 1999.[25] Its publishing duties would be taken over by Sega of America in 2016,[26] and in 2019, Atlus U.S.A. was merged into Sega of America, Inc. and ceased to exist.[11]

Atlus West

Main article: Sega of America

After Atlus U.S.A. was merged into Sega of America, Sega of America has continued to use the Atlus brand name, now as Atlus West, in marketing.

Gallery

  • Metallic version of Atlus' old logo used in North America in the 1990s

    Metallic version of Atlus' old logo used in North America in the 1990s

  • Logo used as Atlus West's Twitter profile picture in summer 2024 to celebrate the release of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

    Logo used as Atlus West's Twitter profile picture in summer 2024 to celebrate the release of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

  • Research and Development 1 logo

    Research and Development 1 logo

  • Creative Department 2nd Production logo

    Creative Department 2nd Production logo

  • Atlus Game Music logo

    Atlus Game Music logo

Notes

  1. ↑ Index Corporation was the prior owner of Atlus and merged into it in 2010, making Atlus as an entity cease to exist during that time. But the company faced bankruptcy in 2013
  2. ↑ Sega bought Index Corporation in 2013 and renamed it Atlus
  3. ↑ Japanese: 株式会社アトラス, romanized Kabushikigaisha Atorasu
  4. ↑ Japanese: アトラスショーチーム, romanized Atorasu shō chīmu
  5. ↑ Japanese: 第一開発部, romanized Daiichi kahatsubu; renamed in 2004 to Japanese: 開発第一グループ, romanized Kahatsu daiichi gurūpu
  6. ↑ Japanese: CS事業部開発グループ, romanized Shī esu jigyōbu kahatsu gurūpu
  7. ↑ The English name used in this article is taken from the credits of Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. It was previously localized as R&D Division in Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army. Other game credits have mentioned the wider CS Department as the "CS Division" or "Consumer Software Division".
  8. ↑ Japanese: アトラス第一プロダクション, romanized Atorasu daiichi purodakushon

References

  1. ↑ ::: アトラス :::. Website.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 グループ価値最大化を図りインデックス、アトラスの２社を吸収合併. Archived: [1]. Published August 30, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2025 (archived April 28, 2013). Index Holdings.
  3. ↑ 沿革：株式会社アトラス　IR情報・会社情報. atlus.co.jp.
  4. ↑ Atlus 'Dissolved' By Parent Company Index Holdings. Website. Gamasutra August 30, 2010
  5. ↑ Atlus at risk after parent company announces bankruptcy (update). Archived: [2]. Retrieved Jun 27, 2013. Polygon.com.
  6. ↑ Sega buys owner of Persona developer Atlus. Archived: [3]. Retrieved Oct 26, 2013. GameSpot.com.
  7. ↑ Atlus Game Music About Page
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Atlus Game Music Website Creation
  9. ↑ Atlus Game Music YouTube Creation
  10. ↑ P Studio Japanese Trademark
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 California Business Search. Retrieved March 5, 2025. California Secretary of State.
  12. ↑ "ATLUS was established in 1991 as Asuka, an American branch of then ATLUS Co., Ltd., with the stated mission of introducing high-quality video games for North America." Atlus, Atlus Company History. Archived: [4]. Retrieved March 8, 2025. Atlus.com.
  13. ↑ https://fccid.io/ISWAC010001-0025
  14. ↑ ATLUS Trademark FURM. Retrieved March 9, 2025. FURM.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 ATLUS Trademark USPTO. Retrieved March 9, 2025. United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  16. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19990427021824/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press971014.html
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19981202173840/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press971031.html
  18. ↑ ATLUS DREAM ENTERTAINMENT President's Message. Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20010619205804/http://www.printclub.com/message.htm]. Retrieved March 9, 2025. Printclub.com.
  19. ↑ SNK Corp. of America v. Atlus Dream Entertainment Co., Ltd.. Archived: []. Published June 4, 1999. Retrieved March 9, 2025. Casetext.com.
  20. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19990501073705/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press980901.html
  21. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19990501081811/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press981015.html
  22. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010203141100/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press200_1227.html
  23. ↑ http://www.kabupro.jp/edp/20091029/S0004F1Q.pdf
  24. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081613/https://www.segasammy.co.jp/japanese/ir/library/pdf/printing_yuhou/2018/2018034q_yuho_all.pdf
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010208233034/http://www.atlus.co.jp/company/press/press990331a.html
  26. ↑ Sega will publish all future Atlus games, finalizes acquisition. Archived: [5]. Retrieved April 5, 2016. Polygon.com.
Retrieved from "https://megatenwiki.com/index.php?title=Atlus&oldid=214203#Atlus_Sound_Team"