#oh atlus usa...

[petorahs]

pq2 thoughts after finishing it!:

i think. it is a g. game. it is a persona game i will admit!

no but srs i think its good if youve never played a persona game which i assume is why its on 3ds only. it really does feel like discount persona with all of the last three cast thrown in? and some of the gameplay improvements (this game's gameplay aged better than fes and p2's LMAOO) i guess its a compromise to reach fans who've never actually played the main games cause they dont own a playstation console or something.

at the same time it makes no sense for "new fans" to play because you need at least some background knowledge of the prev characters and plot to care.

in my case i knew everything abt p3 and p5, only osmosis knowledge of the plot of p4 so i ended up using the p4 cast the least in my playthrough :( so theres that. not worth playing if u dont care abt the other casts imo

...so we agree the characters are the selling point here, its advertised as a mega crossover and whatever but. people complaining that theyre "watered down" to base traits or even traits they didnt have in the first place are Right LOL except for a scant few characters who get a lot of expansion. but for the most part none of them are themselves (like yusuke... 😔.... akihiko.... aki not as bad as yusuke but they have the same writing problem)

no one expects the characters to rly individually shine when theres so many ofc, the game even pokes fun at the "limited screen time" joke but like. what else is there to this? 🤔 well

character interactions! those were good. everyone expected detective princes meetup to be really great but i loved the other pairs like haru and mitsuru (heirs with distant dads...), and the PQ OC girl with futaba :] (introvert friends!!)(theyre like sucrose and collei in this year's windblume if you go there)

speaking of akechi though. yea he's part of the list of characters that surprisingly did not get butchered and in fact expanded upon in this game. aside from akechi it's P3 FeMC.

others i liked were P5 MC (his dialogue choices are SO out there), shinjiro aragaki, ken amada, yukiko amagi maybe yosuke hanamura and P4MC but their personalities just stayed the same instead of getting possible new insight?

i liked velvet room guys too theyre goated frfr! yes including marie. even i was surprised (probably cause akechi gets to poke fun at her and the twins hdjdhdhd)(cute)

i cant put P3 male MC anywhere cause i will always be biased towards him 😔🫰 (he was great btw)

but the crow character expansion in particular intrigued me and leads me to accept this game as canon like some ATLUS USA reps intended. akechi: stripped away of his obligations is a cunning, introspective and overall respectable young man and the game showcased all of his core traits well. he purposefully isolates himself from the main group and gets called out on it, consistently is the one that makes the most sense in discussions, gets various little moe moments... he honestly seems like he doesnt know what to make of all this forced bonding with strangers but he cant help to indulge anyway. 😭 he's vocal in discussions about their plans but a passive :) face in the background during fun moments until he's addressed or curious. the way he furthers the narrative along like they wouldnt get as far as they did without him i feel. but between all of that he was the main character to me.

the end scene where he seems regretful that he has to leave and go back to his revenge plot.... hurts. because for all intents and purposes we just saw akechi if he didnt have all that baggage and was just allowed to exist as himself. a smart guy with a whole life ahead of him. but he didnt choose that.

😔

oh god that emoji is huge but anyway. FeMC!! ^_^ the problems of toxic positivity being addressed in her arc was great. they really tried to give her as much love as possible without being too happy (persona games tend to make their characters suffer anyway to even things out) and it was great! her writing reminds me of kasumire's mental illness but with less romance tease pandering.

ah yes and the obligatory Persona side game OC... hikari and nagi. honestly wished they didnt exist as much as i liked hikari's thing 😔 it got old and outright cringe man im sorry like surely the devs could come up with something better than this?? way to not explain enlil and mess with the in-universe power scaling too LMAO. 2/10 is being generous!

anyway its a fairly short game in persona standards so i cant really say it's time wasted when i got so many character interaction crumbs..... i guess i lucked out by liking the characters that i do instead of ones that kinda got shafted in this. (except for aki but 😔 i just kinda accepted his blown out of proportions awkwardness outside of P3)

it's..... a 6/10 from me overall! music and velvet room attendants + nanako cameo DLC carried

[maiamaiden]

I remember right after the game came out R*bbie shot down a fan who asked about redemption, saying Akechi doesn't need one, and when he got booed he said something like "shower me in your hate" in his Akechi voice. I think they definitely wanted Akechi to be hated and they play him up to be a hated villain, like a lot of Atlus USA tweets making his PQ2 profile sound shady when it wasn't like that, or cropping him out of the best friends day picture (they could have used a diff pic without him) 1

2 The Japanese version never uses the word villain to describe him, just rival or antagonist. I guess bc western audiences hate sympathetic antagonists now and they thought crazed villain would go over better. Even a lot of key lines in the engine room were changed. it's why I wasn't too upset pq2 didn't get dubbed.

oh i didn’t know about that. that’s disappointing to hear...i actually... might play p5r with jpn voices after hearing that..

and yeah i actually unfollowed atlus usa on twitter ages ago because of how terrible their goro-related tweets are. i only found out about them cropping goro out of that pic from other people who were upset about it. who needs them when persona central is honestly a better news source anyway

as for localization changes. do they need to be reminded about revelations? after that they tried to be as faithful to the jpn versions as possible. that’s why p3 onwards went so far as to keep the honorifics. imo the only time changes should be made is if there’s something that culturally wouldn’t translate well into english or like wordplay jokes (changing kuma to teddie and changing his verbal tic into bear puns is a good example of a necessary change that was done well imo). stuff that actually changes the way a character comes across to players is not a good change.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

During a special, 1-hour The Caligula Effect  Japanese live stream earlier today, a remake of the former PlayStation Vita exclusive RPG and an anime adaptation of the game were announced.

The first game was notable for being written by the Revelations: Persona and Persona 2 duology writer Satomi Tadashi, as well as some of its similarities to the Persona games. He retains his role for the upcoming Caligula project.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose

The remake of The Caligula Effect, subtitled “Overdose,” will be released on the PS4 in Japan on May 17, 2018 for 7,980 yen. It will use Unreal Engine 4 this time, and notable additions include:

Upgraded performance and visuals.

A new “Forbidden Musician Scenario,” doubling story length in a new route where the protagonist betrays their allies.

New main characters and antagonists.

A female protagonist.

The official website for the game can be found here.

Gematsu has translated the game’s overview:

Anime Adaptation

An anime adaptation of the game was announced to begin broadcasting in Japan on April 2018, featuring the voice actors from the game. A new Twitter account was established for it, which will reveal new information in the future.

The official website can be found here.

Read more here on what new features will be added to the PS4 Edition

[eirikrjs]

Tenkai can’t catch a localization break (SMT4A Eng. thoughts)

YHVH has been defeated FOR LITERALLY NO REASON again--but this time, in English! It’s been almost two years since I played the Japanese version of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and so there were few surprises waiting for me here. Still, as I’ve been making my way through the game I’ve been jotting down things that caught my attention:

First time I’ve noticed that Japanese honorifics are inconsistently cased, e.g., “Kushinada-hime,” but “Kikuri-Hime.” Should be lower case. Like, you wouldn’t type “Sumisu-San.” I don’t remember this in SMT4, but it would have to be since Atlus USA generally doesn’t touch demon tables that have already been translated.

But, uh, maybe they do mess around with them again. Girimekhala’s name has been reverted back to the “Girimehkala” spelling. MEH

The game points out that the signs in Naraku, written by Samurai, are in English. If you look at the texture they certainly are written in roman characters but are gobbledygook. I never thought about it being definitively English because it’s never pointed out that what’s on the texture is meant to be diegetic. But since language choice other than Japanese must have been the influence of the angels on the citizens of Mikado, why would they choose English instead of Hebrew or Latin?

Bucking my own recent magic build trends, this time around I stuck every stat point I got into Dexterity, because I knew you’d eventually get the pierce-all passive. It worked out pretty well, I gotta say! With a +2/-2 buff differential and Charge, Riot Gun was doing almost 10k damage. Here are my current stats:

Dagda chastises you (specifically “humans”) for eating, yet in actuality he’s a god of sustenance. Like, he owns a magical cauldron that never goes empty? How did they mess things up this badly???

There are additional conspicuous double entendres found in the Maruo questline prior to Mara’s appearance I never saw posted on Miiverse, ones even slightly cleverer than Mara’s own. Was that really because there wasn’t a giant green penis on-screen to make the wordplay obvious?

Almost every player I’ve DDS’d with has been Japanese. A couple times I’ve tagged the same player in back-to-back downloads. After 300+ cards, my rankings are, in order: Shiva, Krishna, Alice, Satan, Angel (82), Demiurge, Odin, Izanami, Mastema, White Rider. Could be worse! And no Mara?! I thought he was, like, the most popular demon EVER. Oh, he was judged most popular on a social media platform? So I guess if effort or money are involved his popularity takes a dive Fridays after five, it seems. 

The narration is extremely patronizing. It sometimes describes things you literally just saw visually, like Asahi being eaten. Do they think we’re all in junior high school or something? Oh. Ohhhhh.

Do stores shortchange you when selling relics? I just noticed I was getting about 10k less than the value listed on the field overlay. UPDATE: Later on I save scummed outside of a shop and found that yes, the price you actually get for relics not only deviates from the overlay value,  it fluctuates from visit to visit. Why???

[Suzaku Shot], [Genbu Bomb], [Baihu Rounds], [Long Rounds]. Really. Really?

Oh, would you look at that: all the violent and aggressive Japanese gods are just that way because they are worried about the state of Japan. Izanami just has the best interests of her children in mind. How virtuous!

Seems kind of arbitrary whose souls got sucked up by Shesha and whose didn’t. Though it was hilarious how unconcerned Fujiwara was about the large group of supposedly precious humans who were partying outside of his command center just minutes before; he notices just one guy who’s zombified and goes “yo, this guy’s fucked up.”

Let’s all say it together: INANNA. IS. NOT. A. MOTHER. GODDESS. You can insert the clap emojis yourself.

During the Mitra battle, Toki disses his “truths.” Facile smacktalk, yes, but when you think about it (always a dangerous game to play with Maniacs Team games), Mitra with his contracts and whatnot still represents what were once evidently human truths and viewpoints for the ancient Indo-Iranians, like how important it was for people to keep oaths and the idea of a divine overseer and dispenser of justice. That’s not to say these concepts should be free from criticism, but if you want to ignore what gods really represent and are a bad writer, you can make them look as dumb or evil as you want! Look, it’s amazing I even noticed this because Toki is one of those “instantly depress the X button” kind of characters for me.

The post-Vishnu-Flynn scene where the Scooby gang agrees to kill YHVH is just as cringeworthy as expected, particularly because it’s accompanied by the cheesy anime Kinshicho underground theme; that’s almost as “great” as the instance when the theme plays while you can inspect the body of the dead child lying directly across from your room. That’s a Top 10 SMT Moment right there.

Everything about YHVH’s Universe is even more awful once you can fully understand the dialogue. Also, the last time I went through the dungeon fresh it was before they patched in so many extra warps; seriously, there were at max like 1 or two per Brane (I think). Now they basically act as breadcrumbs, at least for the first couple Branes.

The gameplay is still a lot of fun and fusion is pretty rad in tandem with the affinity system. Just a shame about everything else, including when the gameplay becomes a slog from bloated dungeons or inflated HP totals and MP costs!

Lastly, Flynn’s sword got stuck in mid-air:

“Baiting” a “pole,” huh? Looks like Mara has some up-and-coming competition!

[mysticdragon3md3]

Will There Be A Persona 5 Anime ENGLISH DUB?! Cassandra Lee Morris

Morgana’s English dub voice actress asks us to request an English dub for the upcoming Persona 5 Daybreakers anime series.  

I can tell you, guys, this works.  Remember the Devil May Cry anime series?  That got the videogame’s voice actor for Dante, Reuben Langdon, to dub the anime too, only because fans requested him.  While the game’s voice actress for Lady, Kari Wahlgren---who was already VERY established in the anime dubbing community as an A-LISTER---got replaced in the anime series by someone else.  (And I will NEVER get over that.  ~_~! )  So please go request to licencors that the same voice actors from the game get to dub the anime adaptation in English.  You don’t want them to pull a switch, when keeping the game’s VA’s seemed obvious.  I’d say to go bug Funimation, since they usually get the license to everything, but with the recent buy-out by Sony, I don’t know what will stay the same with them.  ;_;  I hope they get the distribution rights; they always do a good job (by hiring Bang Zoom Entertainment to produce the ADR ^.~ ).  Well, we already know Crunchyroll has the rights to the Persona 5 Daybreakers OAV sub, so maybe bugging them will help get the word out, since they’re also partners with Funimation.  But for now, maybe requesting directly at Atlus is the best bet.  https://twitter.com/AtlusUSA

Oh yeah, forgot.  The P5 anime is being made by A-1 Pictures.  Aniplex’s animation studio.  It might be a good idea to bug Aniplex USA about our dub requests too.  Or at least localization.  https://twitter.com/aniplexUSA

[englishvisualnovels]

Atlus USA Updates Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Website

Atlus USA recently updated the website for Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. The updated website now includes character profiles, a synopsis, gameplay information, etc. However, keep in mind that the site contains major spoilers for Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth will be available on the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita in the Americas and Europe on September 5th.

Relevant Links:

Where to Buy (Retail): Full list by Atlus USA

Official Site

Trailers: New Features, E3 2017 Teaser

Features, via Atlus USA:

An Epic Scope — Mask of Truth is an 80+ hours long experience that features more fascinating characters, dastardly creatures, exotic locales, and important battles than ever before!

A Story at Its End — The rich Utawarerumono visual novel tradition continues in Mask of Truth. The landscape has changed and there are new nations, people, and truths to discover during this uncertain time. The dramatic events of Mask of Deception have set up the story for a climactic and thrilling conclusion in Mask of Truth.

Enhanced SRPG Battle Mechanics — Since war is on everyone’s agenda, expect plenty more battles to partake in. Turn-based tactics make a return and an updated battle system make fights both strategic and fast paced! Utilize new extended Action Chains, a higher-level cap, and more to gain the upper hand on the battlefield. Additionally, certain characters can team up and dish out some devastating offense with Co-op Final and Co-op Chain attacks. Oh, there’s also now a Mock Battle mode that can be used to practice new combat tactics and gain EXP/BP.

A Fantastical Atmosphere — The gorgeous art style, beautifully rendered cutscenes, and rousing score (recorded and remastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and EastWest Studios) make a return. Dive into a magical storybook that comes alive before your very eyes!

Synopsis:

After the events of Mask of Deception, the Yamato Empire is now ruled with an iron fist by a ruthless usurper who seeks to subjugate all before him. It’s up to a couple of familiar faces to band together against the might of the Imperial army, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance as nations and generals must pick a side to fight with in this perilous civil war. Secrets will be revealed, friendships will be tested, and battles will be fought.

Will peace and order be restored or will victory at any cost be the beginning of the end?

[poemofeverybodyssouls]

Atlus Is Currently Hiring! Interview With "Persona" Character Designer Shigenori Soejima #DESKWATCH

2017.04.28

#DESKWATCH is a project that shines the spotlight on creators of illustrations, manga, anime, videos, music…. and their work environment. Discover how these gems of creativity are born, and what kind of tools professional creators use through photos and interviews!

Interview & article by Momoka Ito (vi) Pictures by Satopon

This time we visited Atlus, the video game studio behind groundbreaking titles such as Shin Megami Tensei, Persona and Etrian Odyssey. We were also lucky enough to have the chance to interview Shigenori Soejima, character designer for the Persona series and art director of Atlus new project Project Re Fantasy. We asked him about his illustrations and about the way he does design.

▲ Project Re Fantasy is a brand new project that is still under development. It's produced by Katsura Hashino, who also produced Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, and character designer Shigenori Soejima tagged along. 

 We also heard that Atlus is looking for new staff, and we decided to give you all a chance by creating a special platform on pixiv to make your entry! In you're interested, please check the application form at the end of the article.

▲ This time we visited Soejima's workspace, a.k.a. the "P・STUDIO" floor.. At the entrance, we were greeted by Persona 4 mascotte Teddie and a vending machine.

I started to work at Atlus right after graduating. What is it like to work at Atlus?

-- I guess every video game fan already knows what Atlus is, but can you tell us something about your company? What are your most representative titles?

The most famous ones are without any doubt Shin Megami Tensei and the Persona series. Other representative titles are the Etrian Odyssey series and the most recent Catherine. 

 -- How did you start working at Atlus?

It was 1995. I just graduated, and Atlus had just started to produce Revelations: Persona. I started working there as a designer, but at the time the separation between tasks wasn't so harsh so I ended up doing a little bit of everything. Even pixel art. 

-- Why did you choose Atlus?

It was because it wasn't such a big company at the time. (laughs) I thought if I were to enter a big company, I wouldn't have had much freedom to do whatever I pleased. On the other hand, at a company like Atlus I had many opportunities to give my contribution. 

 -- What software are you using mainly?

Paint Tool SAI and Photoshop.

For the part where I use my pen tablet, I use SAI. So lines, coloring... I use Photoshop mainly to adjust the colors and to add special effects. Sometimes I also use CLIP STUDIO. 

 -- Do you use a LCD tablet or a regular one?

I've been using a regular tablet for the longest time, 'cause I didn't like the idea of hiding my illustrations with my hand. However, I heard so many times about how great LCD tablets are that I'm thinking to get one. (laughs) I'm a creature of habit. If there's a device I like to use, I'll keep using even after it gets obsolete. Other members of the staff, though, use much newer things.

▲ His PC is a Windows 7, Intel Core i7 - 6700 32GB memory at 3.4 GHz. Soejima's favorite pen tablet is an "Intuos 3" from 10 years ago. A good workman does not blame his tools! 

 -- What are your must-have items?

My headphones. I use BOSE and AKG. The latter are the result of a collaboration between AKG and Persona 5.

▲ These "AKG K845BT" feature Persona 5 character Sakura Futaba.

 -- Since headphones are your must-have item, I imagine you listen to a lot of music while you work!

Yes, mainly video game music. Or better, the music from the game I'm currently working for.

The atmosphere of my illustrations changes quite a lot according to what kind of music I'm listening, so I always try to get the BGM music data in advance to use it while I'm drawing.

-- I see, so you're using the BGM of the title you're working on. I'm kinda jealous of your work environment!

Creators can move freely at Atlus

-- If you're a creator, you have two choices: to work as a freelancer and to work for a company. Can you tell us the advantages and disadvantages of being an employee?

One of the advantages is that you have always people around you. If you're working as a freelancer, you always have to contact your editor via phone or chat. If you work for a company, though, everyone is already there - you just need to go to their office and you can talk to them right away.

▲ In the company's common space, we found plenty of "P・STUDIO" paraphernalia.

▲ Daiichi Production, the studio behind "Shin Megami Tensei" and "Etrian Odyssey", has a shared tatami space inside the office.

▲ The common space of Studio Zero, the studio working on"Project Re Fantasy". The layout facilitates the communication between each floor.

▲ A one-of-a-kind controller to commemorate the advent of Persona 5 sent from someone who works at Atlus USA. We need this...!

When you're a creator of any kind, it can be hard to complete a project or gather all necessary ideas by yourself. Having a group of people around you can really help!

Also, you can get all the equipment you need. If you tell someone "I need this thing for my work", they're gonna buy it for you. And I'm not only talking about hardware - they'll gather resources and whatever else you need. One of the merits of working in a company is that the environment built around you is thought for work.

However, the thing I like the most is the dynamism that working for a game company creates. Many brains mean many ideas, many illustrations, many people involved in the game. I really love this about Atlus.

The disadvantage is... Having a last train home. (laughs) There are limitations on how much we can work, so if I end up staying too late someone is gonna get angry at me.

But let's think about it. You need to learn self-management this way, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. 

  -- Can you tell us something more about Atlus work rules?

Core time is from 11 until 16. During that time span, you should be at the company. But since work hours are flexible, they tend not to be too strict. You can get to work early in the morning and go home 8 hours later, or you can get to the office just in time for core time, at 11 o'clock.

  -- It's nice to have that kind of freedom! How many hours do you work?

When deadlines are approaching, I can work all day every day... (laughs) But basically, I work according to the rules.

 -- What do you do in order to rest your eyes and hands?

I think it's really important to choose the perfect chair. My company really values a nice work environment, so everyone is usually sitting on a very nice chair.

Us designers, unlike illustrations, don't really keep drawing for hours and hours. We often look at materials and resources or have meetings. That's why I don't think the burden on our bodies is too big.

What are the limitations on character design? Joys and sorrows of group work

-- Can you tell what goes inside the head of a character designer? How can you become good at it?

"Character design" means to create the setting for a certain character, but I think that the ability to draw is a prerequisite in order to be able to convey all their characteristics.

A thing I realized when I entered this company is that even if you're good at drawing, that doesn't mean you will make a good character designer. Competitions inside the company can get pretty harsh, but sometimes it can happen that designs from people who can't draw end up being adopted. For the initial concept, stick figures are usually better than super detailed characters.

It might be hard to get good at design if you're not that good at drawing, but I'm pretty sure that "drawing skills" and "design skills" are two completely different things. I realized all these things after joining Atlus, and since then I've always been drawing to increase my skills as a designer. 

 -- What is the best way to increase your skills as a designer?

Of course, it's important to observe what's around you... But there's something less vague that you could do. Personally, I started from asking myself: "What's the thing that I enjoy the most?" I think when you start drawing something you're always influenced by what's popular at that time. Then, you start looking for ways to be different from the popular creators. However, you don't always get results right away. I was even scolded by my boss because I couldn't find a satisfying output, a way to be different. (laughs) He told me to just be myself and to draw what I felt like drawing.  Since that moment I started actively thinking about how to create something that was different from whatever came in the past. I started to find the things I was missing. It's important to continuously try to perfect yourself, both by studying and by finding new interests.

▲ Even a successful designer like Soejima was scolded at the start of his career.

-- What's the most fun thing about character design?

To give shape to a character that has only a vague image gives me a blast every time.

Characters are not something that I make on my own, but that our team creates together. I like sharing what I made with the team, and everyone usually reacts with "Oh, so this is what this character was like!"

When I have to design a character, I start with written indications. Going from that to an actual physical image... That's the most fun that I have during my job.

-- And what's the most frustrating thing?

Since design is quite different from plain art, there are many things that I have to consider when creating a character. I have to think that that same character will be made into a 3D model and animated... And if, for example, character A and character B are brothers they should resemble each other.  I have to base my drawings on character settings, and that leads to some limitations. It's very hard to respect those limitations while creating a good character.

▲ Character creation is something that various members of the staff collaborate on. It doesn't matter how small a character is, there's always much thought going into it.

-- I think that the designs for "personas" appearing in the Persona series are very cool and stylish. How are these creatures born?

The first thing that I consider is what kind of impression that persona will leave when it meets the eye of the player.

Do you want it to be cool? Scary? I mix different ingredients according to the kind of persona I want to create.

However, designs that are too easy to understand can end up resulting quite boring. I like to add elements that create a little mystery... I want the players to think "why does this persona look like this?". My intent is not only to create good looking creatures but also to make the player curious about the original setting for each of them.

-- What would you recommend to all those who're aiming for a career as an illustrator or character designer?

I think the best method to learn something is "to make it into a job". If you only do something as a hobby, you'll tend to be biased towards things you like.

By entering a company, you'll have the chance to draw both things from your specialty field and things outside of it. 

When I joined Atlus I was quite confident about my skills, but I can't say the same about drawing something outside my field of interest. I remember clearly what one of my senpai said to me back then: "Soejima, you pretend like you can draw anything, but you actually can't draw at all". (laughs) So instead of working at your desk and thinking "I'd like to make this into a job one day", get out there and make it into a job. And I hope you will choose our company!

▲ Soejima drew Persona 5 character Makoto Niijima just for us. How beautiful is this!?

Atlus is currently hiring! Apply through pixiv!

-- I would like to ask you something about recruiting. What made you decide to recruit new staff?

After Persona 5 was released, the same team is considering to work on another project, Project Re Fantasy by Studio Zero, which I'm working on as an art director. Apart from that, Atlus is planning to launch a new project for Shin Megami Tensei 25th anniversary, but we don't have enough staff to cover all that...

We are especially looking for artists, and we heard that the best place to find them is a certain treasure cave called pixiv.

▲ Studio Zero, the freshly established studio that deals with Atlus new project. To stimulate further growth and to follow the tradition of existing Atlus projects, they are hiring new personnel.

-- Is this offer limited to newly graduated students?

No, we don't really care about that. You can apply even if you're in the middle of your career, or if you were a student quite a few years ago. People who are currently working as freelancers are also welcome to apply. We are looking for graphic creators to join our team at Atlus.

-- Isn't gonna be hard to get hired at a company like Atlus, that produces such original games?

Thank you for complimenting our company. However, it's not like people without original ideas can't find a job at Atlus! And it's not like you have to know anything and everything about Atlus if you want to join. If you played Shin Megami Tensei you probably have this image of Atlas as a super serious company, but rest assured that the creators and members of the staff are only serious when doing their job. (laughs) We are very passionate about creating original contents, but as a team we are pretty standard. It's a regular company.The tendency is to join everyone's forces when it comes to creating a new title. If you're interested in this creative side of the production, please apply! So if you're interested in becoming a character designer or an illustrator, we will be more than happy to have you! 

 -- Thank you so much! And to all artists out there who dream to work at Atlus... Please send your application using the form below!

     ★ ATLUS - Creators Wanted! Application Form ★

Make your dreams come true "right now", and not "some other day"!

Such a wholesome interview, the one we had with Atlus character designer Soejima! He told us that, rather than practice at your desk, it's way better to just find a job to get your skills up! Is it just a chance that Atlus is currently hiring new creators and staff? If you want to have a chance to make your dreams come true right now, don't miss this unique opportunity! #DESKWATCH checks out the inspiring desks of creators and observes as they strive to deliver the best quality work.

[theoneprecioustome]

From the official Atlus USA Dancing in Moonlight stream. Aikoto gets called the OTP by Jon and Melissa, who work for Atlus USA!

"There's everyone's OTP. I think it's everyone's OTP here.” "See what the chat is saying. OTP in all caps" "Yeah, there you go!" “Oh, man. Her quotes when she's dancing with the protag are... interesting.“

Thanks to @lyzanition and @kasunex for confirming I had heard right! lol

You can also listen to some of Aigis’s dialogues when she dances with Makoto:

That was fast! I'm a little sad to see you go. Our time together was very fulfilling. Thank you.

[asksprite]

Joker Concept Sketch

Oh look, I'm not dead. Have a really basic bitch lightly shaded concept sketch for ponifying an outfit from Persona 5. ...I think Persona 5 is a good game, but Atlus USA/Atlus JP is being total fartknockers about the game.

If you enjoy my works, please consider supporting me on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/SpriteArt

[operationrainfall]

ATLUS USA has announced the release date for The Caligula Effect, known in Japan as just Caligula, from Atlus and FuRyu Corporation. It will be a digital only title, and have Japanese-only audio. Here’s some details on the game from Atlus’s press release:

Players will follow the exploits of the Go-Home Club, a tight-knit group of Kishimai High School students who’ve discovered that their lives are nothing more than a virtual charade. They’ve come to realize that the world their living in is actually Mobius, a virtual reality construct created and ruled by an omnipotent virtual idol known as μ (pronounced myoo). This ragtag group of students must encounter crazed students known as Digiheads, battle malevolent musicians, confront the almighty μ, and face their deepest inner-traumas before tasting the sweet nectar of freedom.

A human story set in a virtual world – Experience a dark story as the Go-Home Club does whatever it takes to escape the digital prison known as Mobius. The crew must defeat a group of evil music producers (known as the Ostinato Musicians) who have been working with μ, and come face-to-face with their own black secrets/desires. Written by Persona series veteran Tadashi Satomi (Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment), players will fight towards freedom as they examine the ugly psychological issues that plague the various characters in the game.

Multiple relationships to nurture – There are 500+ NPCs to recruit into the party to be used in combat. Each has a preassigned class (such as offense, support, etc…) and have a unique background story that’ll slowly be uncovered by completing various quests. Oh, but there’s only 4 characters in a party, so choose your teammates wisely!

A strategic battle system – The game features a unique battle system called “Imaginary Chain” that makes encounters an exercise in planning. Once enemies are encountered, players will seamlessly transition into battles where they can choose from 100+ skills to unleash on their enemies. While choosing skills, players can adjust timing and see a simulated preview of their attack before committing to it. Maximize damage by creating deadly attack chains between party members and don’t let enemies catch their breath!

Music by celebrated producers – It’s only fitting that a game about fighting musicians features original songs by celebrated Japanese producers such as OSTER project, 40mP, 164, cosMo@Bousou-P, and more!

Pricing for The Caligula Effect has yet to be announced, but we have the announcement trailer and some screenshots for you to enjoy below.

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Source: Press Release

The Caligula Effect Will Be Out In the Americas and Europe On May 2 ATLUS USA has announced the release date for The Caligula Effect, known in Japan as just…

[punishmentxsin]

Heidi Kemps. “An Interview with Kazuma Kaneko”. Otaku USA, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (August 2008), pp. 120-

Traducción Español:

Primero que nada, me gustaría saber cómo te involucraste en el diseño de arte para videojuegos. ¿Siempre planeaste convertirte en un artista?

Kaneko: Realmente no. Consideraba que sería agradable, pero no era algo a lo que aspiraba en ese momento.

Tu primer trabajo profesional fue con la animación. ¿Nos podrías decir en qué estudio trabajaste y que series asististe? ¿Qué te hizo cambiar tu parecer en renunciar esta línea de trabajo?

Kaneko: Bueno, no debería de divulgar el nombre del estudio, pero hicimos trabajos para show tanto japoneses como extranjeros. Muchas de las cosas fueron subcontratadas con nosotros. No era muy agradable el trabajo. No había ninguna cosa en particular que fuese mala del trabajo, si no una combinación de muchos factores. En cuanto a las series en las que trabajé… Hubieron bastantes! No realizamos películas, si no series de TV, recuerdo trabajar en shows orientados a occidente como G.I. Joe, Transformers y cosas de Disney – ¿ los Gummi Bears, era? En cuanto a las cosas japonesas, hicimos shows de robots y demás, ah! shows normales y shows familiares. [Nota: creo que se refería a cosas como Sazae-san]. En realidad hicimos de todo un poco. En realidad me encantó trabajar en un show en particular llamado Inhumanoids, y los diseños de personajes y monstruos… No fueron tan animé, pero me gustaron mucho.

Atlus era un desarrollador bastante pequeño en ese entonces cuando te uniste al staff. ¿Qué hizo que decidieras unirte a la compañía?

Kaneko: El animé había experimentado algo como un “boom” por algún tiempo durante los 80s, pero eventualmente el mercado comenzó a enfriarse un poco y muchas compañías no sabían, en realidad, que esperar de los próximos años. [Nota: También, durante estos tiempos, algunos estudios más baratos de animación comenzaron a aparecer en países como Corea y Asia, recibiendo mucho trabajo de animación occidental, y ya que el estudio de Kaneko dependia mucho de los trabajos occidentales, estoy seguro que eso dolió…]. Hubieron otros factores también, -los salarios bajos, la falta de inspiración para hacer muchas cosas de lo que no era más adecuado… Pero cuando terminé de trabajar como animador, los juegos comenzaban a ser “la gran cosa”. Esto fue durante el tiempo que el Famicom había llegado a su tope en Japón. Mientras que las compañías de animé se estaban reduciendo, las compañías de videojuegos comenzaban a buscar nuevos talentos.

El primer título para el que realizaste trabajos fue un juego llamado Mesopotamia [aka Somer Assault] para el PC engine…

Kaneko: En realidad, Mesopotamia fue el primero que realicé para Atlus como su propio traje de publicación. Ya había realizado cosas para los juegos de Megami Tensei del Famicom y algunos otros pocos títulos que Namco lanzó que Atlus había desarrollado. Mesopotamia vino después de esos. No realicé mucho con ese título. Diseñé el personaje principal y el villano, y realicé mucho trabajo de animación. Pero en realidad me gustó lo que hice para ese título.

La serie de Megaten poseen mucho sobre demonios, entidades venditas y figuras de diferentes religiones mitológicas. ¿En qué tipo de cosas piensas cuando realizas ilustraciones?

Kaneko: La cultura japonesa y su folclore poseen muchos monstruos. La cultura pop del mundo está llena de monstruos también – solo mira la popularidad de Godzilla. En realidad quería hacer cosas como esa. Quería crear criaturas en un sentido similar – tomando monstruos del pasado y reimaginándolos con un toque moderno. Tome mucha inspiración de la mitología nativa americana en particular. Para los comportamientos, los diseñaba como alimentándose de las emociones negativas de los humanos – eso es lo que pienso ellos harían.

Mencionaste la filosofía de los Nativos Americanos como una gran inspiración – ¿Hay alguna mitología en el mundo por la que te encuentres más atraído?

Kaneko: En realidad, cuando lo ves de esta manera, hay varias similitudes entre las historias de varias religiones y mitologías alrededor del mundo. Para Megami Tensei I me basé en los puntos interesantes y las diferencias mayores entre diferentes mitologías y sistemas de creencias y los traje dentro del juego.

Hablemos un poco sobre el juego en sí y como tu trabajo encaja en ellos. Uno de los temas principales del núcleo de los juegos de SMT es la “libertad”. Las decisiones del personaje principal a lo largo del juego determinan el resultado final de él y del mundo que lo rodea. La mayoría de RPGs, en comparación, son bastante lineales. ¿Qué tan difícil es implementar tal libertad dentro del juego?

Kaneko: La supervivencia en el mundo no es linear, por lo que no queríamos que nuestros juegos fueran lineales. El juego se enfoca en las estructuras familiares -algo que es más real- y orientado en el mundo. Es más basado en la supervivencia que un juego típico de RPG.

Shin Megami Tensei I y II tenían afiliación para el personaje (Ley, Neutral y Caos) y el comportamiento del personaje y sus habilidades cambiarían dependiendo a donde se inclinara más sobre esa escala. ¿Por qué no vimos tales cambios en SMT3?

Kaneko: Básicamente nos decidimos por el “Caos” como afiliación principal para el protagonista en SMT3. La afiliación al Caos, pensamos, ofrecería más al jugador y a nosotros dentro del desarrollo del juego. También, ya que I y II tenían el mismo sistema, consideramos que el III sería un tanto aburrido si también lo tuviera. Por lo tanto, eliminamos el sistema de afiliación Ley / Neutral / Caos e hicimos que los personajes se afiliaran a diferentes “razones” en lugar de eso.

Tus diseños de personajes se han vuelto un tanto más fríos y estoicos con el paso del tiempo… Viendo a las ilustraciones que realizaste para los primeros juegos de SMT, el contraste es bastante visible.

Kaneko: Todo depende de cómo las cosas son creadas. Yo realizo arte original, pero a partir de eso, se pasa a diferentes personas con diferentes trabajos… Una persona puede que se encargue del delineado, y otra se encargue del mapeo de texturas o color… Todos necesitan combinarse en un producto final que no debe estar lejos del arte original. A fin de hacer eso tan cerca al original como sea posible, es así como terminan las cosas.

Eso era lo que Shigenori Soejima -el artista detrás de Persona 3/4 y Trauma Center– estaba ayudando con el original, ¿verdad? Tenía entendido que el había realizado mucho trabajo de delineado para Persona 2.

Kaneko: Sí.

Hablando de Soejima-sensei, ¿Cómo fue que el tomo el liderazgo en cuanto al arte de las series de Persona?

Kaneko: Yo quería que el nuevo y más joven miembro del staff ganara experiencia. Traté de no, tú sabes, empujar mi propia visión de Persona. Y eso porque hay el tipo de fan que prefiere el tono más oscuro y frío de la atmósfera del núcleo de la serie de Megaten.

Persona es un tanto más brillante.

Kaneko: Sí, exactamente. Y es allí donde quiero que Persona esté… Para una audiencia más grande que logre apreciar Megaten. Es como una rama diferente. Quiero hacerla más distinguida al tener a alguien a parte de mí trabajando en ello.

Así que cuando diseñas personajes, ¿Qué tipo de sentimiento intentas provocar en los jugadores? ¿Deseas que los jugadores piensen que los personajes son cool para envidiarlos o imitarlos…?

Kaneko: Bueno, yo estoy involucrado desde el mero comienzo en estos proyectos, descifrando como la historia se desenvolverá y demás. Durante esa fase, yo ya se qué tipo de personajes habrán. Como, digamos que este personaje tendrá cierto temperamento, y este otro, a quien todos suelen molestar, pero que en realidad el es un gran líder, y a partir de allí, las personalidades de estos personajes se definen… Y luego comienzo a pensar en qué tipo de vida han tenido estos personajes para que se hayan convertido en lo que actualmente son.

He notado que tus diseños de mujeres tienden a irse al lado fuerte e imponente como personajes. ¿Es esto intencional o es solo la forma en cómo las dibujas normalmente? Estoy pensando en ejemplos como… Nemissa de Soul Hackers, Rei Reihou del original Devil Summoner, Argilla de Digital Devil Saga… Personajes como esos.

Kaneko: Todo se reduce a como el personaje será diseñado desde el principio. Por ejemplo, en Devil Summoner, Rei Reihou fue diseñada para ser la acompañante del personaje principal.

El compañero.

Kaneko: Sí. Ella tenía que tener una gran responsabilidad por sus actos. Y para plasmar eso, tuvimos que hacerla, tu sabes, un tanto fuerte. Para Nemissa… Ella es como un bebe recién nacido en este mundo… por eso es que ella es toda “yo, yo, yo.” Y hablando de Argilla, es solo como el personaje es, cómo quería yo que fuese su personaje. No es que yo las prefiera tal cual. (risas) Cada juego posee un “tema” propio, y ya sea que sea un hombre o una mujer, cada uno tendrá… su rol a jugar. Y esos roles son muy importantes, por supuesto, para transmitir el tema al jugador, creo que por eso es que los personajes sobresalen de ser un tanto fuertes. No es que necesariamente yo prefiera ese tipo de personas, pero creo que esas personas son… bueno, yo no diría que es una fuerte personalidad, si no determinación, ¿Quizás? Creo que allí es donde se encuentra el atractivo.

Creo que una vez mencionaste que Rei Reiho es tu diseño de personaje favorito. ¿Es eso cierto?

Kaneko: Sí. Su personalidad, su sentido de moda… ese es el tipo de persona que me gusta. Ella se viste deslumbrantemente, como si fuera cool, esa es como gracia oculta. Me gusta eso. (risas)

Has tenido, actualmente, exhibiciones de arte en Japón, con tus piezas siendo expuestas de manera profesional y gente de alrededor del mundo han venido a verlas. ¿Cómo te hace sentir eso? Acaso piensas, “Wow, ¿Soy en realidad un artista consumado ahora?”

Kaneko: Para ser franco, yo no comencé siendo un diseñador gráfico, así cuando veo un gran grupo de gente viendo mi trabajo … mi primer impresión es como, “Oh, um… OK!” (risas). Pero en realidad, mi responsabilidad como parte del staff de desarrollo es poder complacer al consumidor. El sentimiento de hacer mi trabajo cada vez mejor, para que más personas lo pueda apreciar, ese es el sentimiento siempre está conmigo cuando atiendo a este tipo de cosas.

¿Aún haces uso de medios tradicionales de arte, o es más CG hoy en día?

Kaneko: Comienzo el trazo con lápiz y papel, y desde allí, lo escaneo a la computadora y nos vamos al trabajo de coloreado a partir de eso. Tiendo a realizar más trabajos a lápiz. Atlus está trabajando en otros juegos ahora, y yo me estoy encargando del trabajo de escenarios por esta vez… el “trabajo mental”.

A parte de tu trabajo diseñando monstruos para Atlus, has realizado trabajos de invitado para otras series como Devil May Cry, Zone of the Enders y Super Robot Wars. ¿Cómo es hacer arte para otras compañías? ¿Cómo funciona eso? ¿Acaso la compañía te permite hacer lo que quieras?

Kaneko: Bueno, la prioridad principal es el itinerario de Atlus Japón. Pero entre diferentes proyectos, cuando tengo el tiempo – realizo trabajos para otras personas. Por ejemplo, digamos el Mr. Hideo Kojima me pregunta, “Oye, hagamos algo juntos!” “Ok, tengo tiempo libre, hagamos algo!” O en el caso de Devil May Cry y Nocturne, fue algo que se tenía planeado desde el comienzo y fue incorporado al itinerario de Atlus, así que…

¿Qué hace, diseñar para videojuegos, distinto y único en tu opinión?

Kaneko: Siempre que trabajo para alguien más, es siempre importante llevar el mensaje a la persona para quien estoy trabajando… Y aparte de eso, mi originalidad y expresión a través de mi estilo artístico. Por el otro lado, cuando trabajo en juegos, me toca hacerlo todo, así que esa es la gran diferencia.

¡Muchísimas gracias por tu tiempo! Estamos muy ansiosos por conocer el futuro de los títulos de SMT.

Kaneko: El gusto es mío.

Texto Original (Scans):

Traducción al español por: PersonaUser Fuente: Megatengaku | Otaku USA | Livejournal (sumarucity)

Otaku USA: “Una Entrevista Con Kazuma Kaneko” Heidi Kemps. “An Interview with Kazuma Kaneko”. Otaku USA, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (August 2008), pp. 120-

[satoshi-mochida]

Following the Persona 5 confidant trailers for Hifumi, Sadayo and Toranosuke, Atlus USA has released four new English trailers featuring Chihaya Mifune, Yuki Mishima, Shinya Oda and Ichiko Oya.

Chihaya Mifune

It’s ALWAYS smart to see a fortune-teller from time to time, and luckily the Phantom Thieves know a very good one named Chihaya Mifune. Operating out of her modest office (a table) in Shinjuku, the spacey Chihaya will cheerfully use tarot cards to predict the protagonist’s fortune. So how does this help the team? Well by spending time her, she’ll be able to perform special fortune readings that can add useful buffs like increasing the growth rate of a social stat or deepening a bond with a specific confidant.

Yuki Mishima

What do you do when a high-school classmate figures out that you and your friends are actually the infamous “criminals” known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? Why you make him part of the crew, of course! Yuuki Mishima is a social media savant who uncovers the alter ego of the protagonist, so he naturally decides to work for the group and create the Phantom Thieves Aficionado Website (also known as the, wait for it, Phan-Site). Besides building up the phan base (see what I did there?), he’ll also be able to support the thieves with buffs that increase EXP earned from battle, allow backup members to earn EXP, and more! Wow, isn’t that just phan-tastic? Ok, I’ll stop now.

Shinya Oda

If you had to practice marksmanship in a country that has a strict firearms ban, where would you go? If you answered with “the arcade,” ding ding ding you’re absolutely correct! Oh, and it just so happens that a certain arcade in Akihabara is home base to one of Japan’s most accomplished shooting game players, Shinya Oda. This pint-sized gaming prodigy is a grandmaster at “Gun About,” so he definitely knows a thing or two about shooting. Spending time with him can help the Phantom Thieves learn some nifty gun skills that can be used in battle, such as the ability to enter a gun-based All-out Attack after a successful ambush with Bullet Hail, scare enemies during negotiation with Warning Shot, and much more!

Ichiko Ohya

When she’s not busy chasing a lead, journalist Ichiko Ohya can be found enjoying a drink (or two or three or four or five) at the Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku. So why would the Phantom Thieves want to work with a pesky reporter? Simply put, they have a special “deal.” The protagonist supplies her with interesting tid-bits about the Thieves, and she’ll write articles about them. The public is going crazy for more news about the mysterious masked group, so why not just let Ichiko give it to them? Besides, having more fame/infamy is great for the team’s street cred. Oh, and she’ll also provide useful abilities like making it harder for the security level to fill during Palace heists.

Persona 5 was released for the PS3 and PS4 in Japan on September 15, 2016. It will release in North America and Europe on April 4th, 2017, in Traditional Chinese on March 23, 2017, and in Korean in 2017.

[recentanimenews]

"Persona 5" English Trailers Feature More Helpful Confidants

Atlus started rolling out Persona 5 trailers featuring the RPG's Confidant characters back in December, and a second trio quickly followed the first. Now we're on the third set of introductions with a closer look at Confidants Shinya Oda, Ichiko Ohya, and Chihaya Mifune. Check them out along with their respective descriptions below.

  Shinya Oda

  If you had to practice marksmanship in a country that has a strict firearms ban, where would you go? If you answered with "the arcade," ding ding ding you're absolutely correct! Oh, and it just so happens that a certain arcade in Akihabara is home base to one of Japan's most accomplished shooting game players, Shinya Oda. This pint-sized gaming prodigy is a grandmaster at "Gun About," so he definitely knows a thing or two about shooting. Spending time with him can help the Phantom Thieves learn some nifty gun skills that can be used in battle, such as the ability to enter a gun-based All-out Attack after a successful ambush with Bullet Hail, scare enemies during negotiation with Warning Shot, and much more!

  Ichiko Ohya

  When she's not busy chasing a lead, journalist Ichiko Ohya can be found enjoying a drink (or two or three or four or five) at the Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku. So why would the Phantom Thieves want to work with a pesky reporter? Simply put, they have a special "deal." The protagonist supplies her with interesting tid-bits about the Thieves, and she'll write articles about them. The public is going crazy for more news about the mysterious masked group, so why not just let Ichiko give it to them? Besides, having more fame/infamy is great for the team's street cred. Oh, and she'll also provide useful abilities like making it harder for the security level to fill during Palace heists. 

  Chihaya Mifune

  It's ALWAYS smart to see a fortune-teller from time to time, and luckily the Phantom Thieves know a very good one named Chihaya Mifune. Operating out of her modest office (a table) in Shinjuku, the spacey Chihaya will cheerfully use tarot cards to predict the protagonist's fortune. So how does this help the team? Well by spending time her, she'll be able to perform special fortune readings that can add useful buffs like increasing the growth rate of a social stat or deepening a bond with a specific confidant.

  Persona 5 hits PlayStation 3 and 4 in the west on April 4. 

  -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS, every week at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

so i just heard on twitter P5S had some development problems, thus the issues with the story, the lack of character development, and the switch performance. It would explain quite a bit, but I haven't really heard anything from legit sources. Did you ever see or hear anything about that?

I....I’ve been very sparse on Twitter today tbh. So I’m a bit behind. So I don’t know the tweet you’re referring to. ;w; orz 

(oh boi, under the cut cause weeeeeeeeee 8U buckle up novel time)

If P5S had development problems with story/chars, that would’ve been with the JPN release. Which might explain why it started developing before P5R but released later (doesn’t help that Atlus apparently just signed off on the story rather than write it themselves >.> think that info in particular can be found on another personacentral article). But AtlusUSA isn’t involved with writing the story, just translating/localizing it. 

Switch performance, I doubt AtlusUSA is the one who is in charge with fixing that too. If anyone is gonna patch that mess, that’s gonna be KT (hell not even AtlusJPN, cause KT is who developed it iirc). Now I DO know that AtlusJPN is working on a patch for having SMT3 run better but that’s not P5S sooooo 8U

Now my personal theory/theories about why P5S was taking so long was:

Covid

Covid

Covid

Localization rights (KT America vs AtlusUSA/AtlusWest, I’mma still use USA screw west sorry its one letter too long and I’m lazy >8U)

PS5

Swap PS5 out with Steam and there we go. Should’ve seen the hints before but yeah....we’ll get to that in a bit. 

Covid really screwed a lot of things up, like REALLY REALLY. I don’t think I can stress this enough. It pushed back a lot of stuff because people couldn’t gather. Not just “in public” like literally at work. It took awhile for people to implement ways to still do their job (either by working from home, or having a small bubble). We know anime and dubbing got delayed because of that. Hell some games got delayed because of that too! So I cannot stress enough how much Covid screwed everything up. But how much did it screw everything up? Well......that’s when I decided to look at the past few games AtlusUSA had localized. The result was usually 5-7 months, that includes PQ2 which infamously didn’t have a dub (ah should’ve included SJR..... uhhhh oh same time, 6 months). Anyway I predicted August-November if they skirt the marketing, otherwise we’d get it early 2021. And a-yo wouldya look at that~!

Anyway that post was in July, by that time I think companies figured out how to safely gather for dubs. But keep in mind AtlusWest was also doing other translations beside english now so........yeah......people who say the dub is the reason for the delay, I don’t think that’s right (heck even in this case I don’t think it’s right). Considering that SJR/PQ2 both took about the same time, I have a feeling that AtlusJPN doesn’t want AtlusUSA to release their game until a set time (thankfully it seems that might be changing with SMTV tho!) 

So we’ve addressed Covid, and my mini conspiracy of AtlusJPN forcing a later release date on western releases..... What about Localization rights? So.... ok, there was a post I wanted to make sometime around 2018 but never did. In around 2018 BBTAG was coming out right? So fun fact, at Acen I was there and lo and behold a rep from Arcsys was there showing off an arcade of BBTAG~! And not just any rep, a marketing rep iirc! Well let’s just say I had a few questions, as a fan I’m not a reporter fksjdkflja didn’t come in swinging with a recorder sorry (anyway the questions were something about VAs like getting old Kanji/Chie/Teddie back, changing Aigis’ name back to Aegis....iirc Teddie wasn’t out yet so yeah I’d ask why the wishy washy stance but ey didn’t know that info yet, if they’d be working on Arena 3 rather than AtlusUSA, yadda yadda). Well the thing that stood out was when I asked if Arcsys’ new western branch would be in charge of localizing this hypothetical Arena 3 or any other Persona Fighting game if made. And he said “yeah, if Arcsys JPN works on it, we’ll be localizing it!” Now, that was then this is now. Things change, it’s also a diff company compared to KT so things might be different. (btw Arcsys didn’t have a western branch with Arena/Ultimax so yeah obvie AtlusUSA did the localization). Or it could’ve been bad info. Or it could’ve been that-that was the case but it isn’t now. But here’s the thing, KT does have a western branch (that or google is lying), and IF, IF what Arcsys’ rep says applies here....then there might have been a dispute between two companies on who might localize it going on behind the scenes. Which might explain why AtlusUSA wasn’t talking about P5S cause....yeah....you don’t really talk about that stuff when it’s in dispute. >.> BUT that’s just a theory. 8U A SILLY THEORY! Thanks for-oh wait I have one more. 8U (but low key that could’ve been happening behind the scenes, so like I wouldn’t be surprised, but the next theory also makes sense why it was delayed so eh, could be both, could be one or the other doesn’t matter)

So the last theory I had was originally the PS5. So like, we didn’t know till very late that when the next gen consoles were coming out. :) Thanks Sony. :) And Microsoft. :) *cough* Anyway, so I thought maybe AtlusJPN wanted to do an update or something and might’ve been holding AtlusUSA back so they could do that because YEAH WHY NOT! ANYTHING GOES ATM! But....BUT..... after the leak.....it made sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if they held back because of.....Steam. sajdkfla Esp with those teases of other games coming to Steam....I can’t believe I didn’t see it kdljsaf It also makes a lot of sense timeline wise. So we know that CHN/KR got their own versions of P5S right? Yeah so those dropped around the time of P4G’s WW release on Steam (4-5 days after P4G iirc). Now, CHN/KR tranlsations are probably faster than the western releases for a number of reasons, similar cultures (so localizing isn’t as bad), and the languages are closer than their romance counterpart so it’s probably easier translating too (they also don’t have to dub but as SJR/PQ2 have shown that’s a non issue). But here’s the thing, AtlusJPN wasn’t expecting such a success on Steam....and then it happened. So that leads me to believe that they probs got to work right away on a Steam release (or at least got more serious about it). And now all of it is probably basically done (translating, dubbing, Steamming, yadda yadda), now they just have to market it, and VGA is the best time this late in the year.

*inhales* So yeah, that’s my theory on what happened. Again, it’s a theory, all speculation from info I have available. Not saying any of it is true, it’s just what sounds plausible. 

[gaminghardware0]

Want a Game of Thrones game to play? Try one of these

Winter is here for Game of Thrones fans, as after almost two years, the critically-acclaimed fantasy drama has returned to our screens for its final season. HBO’s adaptation of George RR Martin’s epic literary saga is a monumental achievement, and will apparently go out with a bang, with some of the biggest battles ever depicted on screen. With its violent and imaginative mythology, it’s no surprise that Game of Thrones has struck a chord with many the game-playing community. While a few tie-ins have come our way over the years, there has yet to be a licensed Game of Thrones game that truly matches the scale, depth, and excitement the show provides. So, in order to fully immerse ourselves in the hype for Season 8, we’ve compiled a list of eight games that make us feel like a hero, villain, or morally-grey citizen of Westeros. The night is dark and full of terrors and this article may contain spoilers, so proceed at your own risk. Oh, and we won’t be mentioning the dreadful 2012 tie-in from Atlus USA - this game has been banished to the Wall for crimes against the crown. from https://www.pcgamesn.com/game-of-thrones-game

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Atlus(USA) announcing two new Persona things tomorrow, most likely P3/5D’s localization. As well as a new Catherine Full Body trailer. Catherine Full Body has already been announced for localization iirc so this will probs be the english trailer. Darn, if that’s the case I wish I did my VA videos for Rin.....I started some but never finished. ;w; Oh well. 

I’m hoping that if the two Persona games are P3/5D they have an english trailer ready. That’s what happened when P4D was announced (I think they had Yu and Rise’s trailer released for their announcement).