This week’s issue of Famitsu contains an interesting interview with Atlus CEO Naoto Hiraoka teasing some of the company’s future projects. After some talk about Atlus’ recent focus on the Persona series with Persona 5, Q, and Dancing All Night (alongside other media highlighting the franchise’s presence like Persona 4: The Golden Animation and Arc System Works’ expansion title Persona 4 Arena Ultimax), Hiraoka mentions that Atlus will perhaps be ready to announce “that title” soon, and in addition also have a stand-alone new IP in the vein of Catherine or Dragon’s Crown in the works.
“That title” is perhaps referring to this teaser page. It’s definitely not broccoli; it shows the bottom of a tree trunk that you can scale to its top. Speculation in this NeoGAF thread suggests it refers to the Etrian Odyssey series. Etrian Odyssey’s name in Japan is “Sekaijuu no Meikyuu” or Maze of the World Tree or Yggdrasil. That, and it seems Etrian Odyssey games prominently feature trees. This Crunchyroll article suggests that previous teaser sites for the Etrian Odyssey series have featured the same “sq” in their links” that this site does. And according to the thread, unlike other Etrian Oddysey games the second title’s Yggdrasil Tree went up instead of down. This might all seem to line up with an “Untold” remake of the second game.
Hiraoka also touches on the company’s plans for the next generation of consoles. You may already know that the highly-anticipated Persona 5 is currently in development for the PS3. Speaking only about the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, Hiraoka says:
As console game makers, of course we won’t just avoid them. We’ll definitely be making an effort on that front.
It’s an interesting statement; you have to wonder what their entry into the next generation will be, considering that most major third party Japanese publisher/developers don’t have much to show for the next generation outside Koei Tecmo.
Also, Hiraoka spent some time talking about Atlus’s new working relationship with Sega. He suggested, on the whole, that this relationship could be beneficial for Atlus. Hiraoka comments that with Sega developing one version of Yakuza: Ishin on PS4, Atlus recognizes that Sega’s experience developing for the PS4 may help Atlus in the future. Additionally, Hiraoka appreciates the size difference between the two companies, saying: “Compared to Atlus, Sega are on a much bigger scale (as developers), and our respective know-how is completely different. They’re much more advanced than us when it comes to tools and middleware.” He also comments that Sega is comprised of small companies with different specialties so Atlus may seek advice from them regarding those specialties.
In general it appears to be a cozy arrangement, with Famitsu noting that Sega and Atlus seem to have good synergy with each other. In response, Hiraoka commented that, coincidentally, Atlus and Sega met recently to discuss each others’ game lineups for the next three years. This meeting featured Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi and Hiraoka himself, among others. He added that though the two communicate about their projects, coordinating joint projects can still be difficult, though at the same time meetings like what was mentioned facilitate awareness of each others’ work and add to the possibility of joint projects.
That joint projects were mentioned by Atlus is worth noting. It was given some thought in initial interviews after Sega Sammy purchased Atlus, but it seems that the idea is being seriously entertained. This isn’t to induce undue speculation on future titles, but Sega and Atlus at the very least do seem open to the idea of a joint project.
Come on Atlus and SEGA ,Yakuza 5 should be on your list for a US release!