Atlus

Atlus Co., Ltd. (株式会社アトラス, Kabushiki-gaisha Atorasu) is a Japanese video game developer, publisher and distribution company based in Tokyo, and a subsidiary of Sega. It is best known for developing the Megami Tensei, Persona, Etrian Odyssey, and Trauma Center series. Its corporate mascot is the Shin Megami Tensei demon Jack Frost.

History

In October 2003, Japanese toy company Takara acquired Atlus. On 21 November 2006 Index Holdings announced the acquisition of Atlus, effective on 30 October, and purchased 7.7 million shares (54.93 percent; 77,000 votes, or 54.96 percent of the voting rights) on 20 November 2006. Atlus became an Index Holdings subsidiary on 29 November 2006.

On 15 April 2010, Index Holdings announced that Atlus would become a subsidiary of Index Holdings on 10 May. On 30 August 2010, Index Holdings announced its merger with Atlus and Index Corporation, with Index Holdings the surviving company, effective on 1 October. After the merger, Index Corporation would continue to operate Atlus under the Atlus brand. Although fans were concerned about the company's future, CEO Shinichi Suzuki said that Atlus would continue to provide the "finest quality game experiences possible" and the merger "further strengthens the foundation of Atlus, both in Japan and here in the United States." On 9 November 2010 Index Holdings announced its renaming to Index Corporation, to be confirmed at the shareholders meeting on 25 November 2010 and effective on 1 December.