Atlus parent company facing criminal investigation.

[nakamura]

News on Twitter stating this. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to copy and paste the link....

[nakamura]

http://n4g.com/news/1279225/is-this-the-end-for-atlus-with-index-media-under-criminal-investigation

Did it!

[GordonJ]

I hate n4g links http://www.ricedigital.co.uk/are-atlus-in-deep-****/

[kryss]

Usual Japanese company nonsense. NOVA's boss was doing something similar.

[fuse]

Index have gone bankrupt. No English sources yet, but;

http://blog.esuteru.com/archives/7195445.html (may be some nsfw-ish banners on here)

http://japan.cnet.com/news/business/35033951/

http://jp.reuters.com/article/stocksNews/idJPL3N0F31U320130627

No idea yet what exactly this means for Atlus, but I doubt it's good.

[wakka]

I'm sure they'll be picked up by someone. They have a number of extremely strong IPs.

At least that's what I hope o____________________o

[briareos_kerensky]

A note: Index are not bankrupt, but have opted for "civil rehabilitation", where they'll be able to reorganize themselves with minimal economical damage. Index will stay operative and they are searching a business partner that will pick up Atlus (their most profitable firm), though it sounds like Index won't sell Atlus outright, but will still hold some stakes in them.

[Paddy]

I'm happy for Atlus to seemingly live on in some functional capacity but as for the head company how can Index Holdings get out of this supposed fraudulent activity by trying to use any parts of the law that will allow them to escape culpability?

Companies operating outside of the law for gain should be tried for all of their crimes within the law. No contest. Fingers crossed Atlus finds a more respectable parent company soon.

[ETC]

Place your bets for a buyer then

I'm going with either Nintendo, Sony or more likely Deep Silver

[briareos_kerensky]

Nippon Ichi or Marvelous.

[MisterBubbles]

If Ninty are wise they have the cheque written out, just to cross the T's and dot the I's.

[briareos_kerensky]

Index are looking for a partner, not a company that will buy Atlus completely. While selling part/some stocks of Atlus to Nintendo, Sony or even MicroSoft makes sense, I don't see neither Index nor Atlus willing to cut revenues from consoles opposing their new partner.

[Neon Ignition]

None of the big three would stump up for Atlus, more likely it'd be another reasonably small to mid Japanese publisher or if they went under someone would just buy the ip's

[briareos_kerensky]

Index overall value has gone from 15 million yen to 20 million yen, according to Bloomberg. Currently, there are around 20 companies bidding, and one of them in Sega Sammy. The deal will probably be closed very soon, possibly by the end of August.

[ETC]

Not Sega... They are worse at localising their own games to Europe than even Atlus
*I am looking at you Yakuza 5... FFS