Atlus: Unlocking the Niche Market: Interviews

Today we discuss how Atlus chooses games to release in North America.

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Atlus: Unlocking the Niche Market

Mr. Nash

November 10, 2005

There have been more than a few editorials throughout the industry bemoaning game publishers' unwillingness to take chances, pumping out one safe game after the next, feeding what they think that the mainstream wants. However, it isn't always that way, as a few companies have gone out of their way to bring niche titles to a North American audience. Right at the front of the pack has been Atlus, not only publishing their own games that have been developed in-house, but also keeping their eyes peeled for other potential gems that look like they could perform well on this continent. From early on, the company developed a reputation for bring Japanese RPGs across the Pacific that may otherwise never have seen the light of day over here. Without Atlus we may never have seen the likes of Persona, the Ogre games (Tactics, Battle, and so forth), Thousand Arms, or Rhapsody. On top of the avalanche of role-playing games, the company has also peppered their library with some interesting, offbeat titles like Cubivore, Sky Gunner, and Tails Concerto.

The past twelve months have proven particularly busy for Atlus, as the publisher has been pushing out new niche games left and right, including three (3!) Shin Megami Tensei games, Stella Deus, and Trauma Center, with Magna Carta right around the corner. On top of this, the company has recently announced that they are preparing to release both Steambot Chronicles and Metal Saga in North America. So, how does this game publisher manage to not only survive, but flourish for fifteen years embracing the niche market, while so many others either try and fail, or simply avoid it like the plague? Atlus VP of Sales, Jim Ireton, took some time out of his schedule to talk with the Armchair Empire about how Altus chooses which games they localize for North America.

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Q: How do you go about deciding what niche games are right for bringing to the North American market?

A: The first and most important step in our decision making process is to evaluate the game itself, and make sure that the game is fun to play, is competitive with regard to graphics, is appropriate for the NA market and is challenging to the target customer. Once we determine that the specific game has

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potential, we do extensive research on similar titles with regard to unit sales as well as looking out to see what competitive games could impact our success in the marketplace. The final step is to analyze the game from a financial perspective...each game still has to have a break-even point, with our goal to exceed this. As a developer and publisher, we still need to make a profit.

Q: Does Atlus usually have to contact the overseas publishers of these games to negotiate bringing them to the U.S. and Canada, or are there just as many instances of these publishers pitching the game to Atlus?

A: There are variations of all the above. Atlus has a stellar reputation for the quality of our translation, particularly with regard to role-playing games. We are also constantly evaluating the titles we see coming to the overseas market, and will approach a developer if we believe their title would be appropriate as an Atlus title for the North American market. Keep in mind that many gamers buy every Atlus title published in the NA market, and we work hard to keep our reputation as strong as possible.

Q: How large is the market for fans of niche games? Do NPD numbers give the whole picture?

A: The market for niche games continues to be the fastest growing segment of the retail marketplace. More and more North American gamers understand the challenging aspects of "niche" games, and we have seen our business soar as the number of gamers in this category explodes. No, NPD does not give the whole picture, as some of the members of NPD still do not support this category the way it should be.

Q: Why do you think that so few other publishers are willing to take a chance on niche games like Atlus does? Considering that your company has been doing been doing such for over a decade, wouldn’t that suggest that it’s a viable business model?

A: We believe it is a viable business model, as you mentioned; we have been doing this for over fifteen years, and profitably. But, the very thing which makes Atlus so successful, is not easy. Translating a "story" so that it intrigues the North American gamer is challenging, and we pride ourselves on being the best. We have a very dedicated and talented staff, which embrace each of our titles, and strive to outdo themselves each and every time. Furthermore, mainstream games are often based on popular TV or movie franchises, which involve additional licensing costs, so greater quantities must be sold. Most of our games are new franchises, unless they come from our parent company, so the pressure to have a blockbuster hit is not as high. At the same time, we are able to satisfy the gamer that is looking for an experience which is different from the other games out there.

A big thank you goes out to both Jim Ireton and Gail Salamanca at Atlus for making this article possible.


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