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Atlus' parent company Index files for 'civil rehabilitation'
Index Corporation, parent company of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona publisher Atlus, is petitioning for "civil rehabilitation proceedings," a form of bankruptcy protection under Japanese law. As part of its petition, as of May, the company has ¥24.5 billion ($249 million) in total liabilities. Jurists.co.jp has a pretty solid explanation of the procedure from this point forward. The company will have a supervisor appointed and a plan will be drawn up for rehabilitation of the company. After that, there is a creditors meeting and approval. Then the company is supposed to follow the plan. We've reached out to Atlus for a statement about if this will have any impact on the company's daily business or release schedule. Update: Atlus provided the following statement from President and CEO Naoto Hiraoka: "Currently, Index Digital Media, Inc. and the Atlus brand are unaffected by the Index Corporation proceedings in Japan. We're carrying on day-to-day activities, business as usual. Shin Megami Tensei IV and Dragon's Crown are still releasing on July 16 and August 6 respectively, and we're licensing and publishing third-party titles such as R.I.P.D: The Game and Daylight. We want to thank all of our fans for their outpouring of support."
Atlus North America CEO Shinichi Suzuki steps down
Shinichi Suzuki, the president and chief executive officer of Atlus' North American subsidiary, has stepped down. Suzuki will be succeeded by Naoto Hiraoka, current head of consumer business at parent company Index Corporation, though Suzuki will remain on board in an advisory role until October. No specific reason was given concerning Suzuki's departure.Suzuki's tenure as CEO and president was earmarked by the releases of some of Atlus' most well known games, such as Trauma Center, Persona 4, Catherine and Demon's Souls. While his gradual departure from the company is explained away as a synergistic way to transfer leadership, we suspect the actual reason is that Suzuki will first have to navigate an infinite tower of trap-riddled cubes, all while confronting his inner fears and limitations.
