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Tecmo Koei Purchases Atelier Series Developer Gust

By Spencer . December 7, 2011 . 2:32am

Tecmo Koei Purchases Atelier Series Developer Gust

Hungry to merge more, Tecmo Koei announced plans to purchase Atelier series developer Gust through stock acquisition. Soon, Gust will become a fully owned subsidiary. Tecmo Koei cited the popularity of the Atelier series as one of the reasons for the acquisition.

 

Prior to the purchase, Tecmo Koei (more specifically Koei) have been working with Gust for years as their game distributor. The relationship between Gust and Koei extended overseas where Tecmo Koei distributes Gust’s games in North America and Europe. It’s unclear how this will affect the relationship between NIS America, the company that localizes the Atelier series in the West.

 

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland is slated for release early next year. If the Tecmo cameos in Warriors Orochi 2 are any indication, we expect Rorona will be a guest character in Warriors Orochi 5 (if not earlier).


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  • Gatchaman1

    One thing Koei did that pissed me off (besides not localizing Zill O’ll Infinite * Infinite Plus) with Trinity Zill O’ll was they didn’t allow you to access the free DLC extra missions and outfits that were left in Japan only.

  • Learii

    its would be nice to see Rorona in warriors orochi

  • raymk

    I play gust games with english voices and happen to like some of them.  This is one of those all english voices are bad bits isn’t it >_>.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=512740433 Zubi Khan

    time for some dead or alive bust sizes 

  • Merulana

    I’m extremely worried about how this will turn out.
    However, as long as they don’t interfere much and GUST gets to keep their creative freedom, I guess it should be fine.

  • Ryos

    Having a higher budget would certainly be a good thing, but this does mean there’s a disturbance in the force for localizations.  Tecmo Koei tends to avoid localizing RPGs like no one’s business, and I bet licensing costs will go up substantially.

  • http://shinsua.deviantart.com/ Shinsua

    Atelier Musou… *Grunt*

    I really do hope TK grants Gust the freedom it deserves… I can’t imagine that they’d risk pulling what made Gust so appealing to them to begin with.

    • Testsubject909

      How about you be positive.

      Monster Rancher + Atelier. You DO know that Monster Rancher is made by Tecmo, right?

      • http://shinsua.deviantart.com/ Shinsua

        Haha, I actually didn’t. I haven’t played a Monster Rancher game since I was younger, but I do remember loving them dearly. c;

        I didn’t mean it to sound as though I was being negative entirely towards the merger, as you might be able to tell from my other comment here, but the actual idea of Atelier Musou just kinda makes me cringe…
        Hmm… though, if done properly, that could actually be really great.

  • http://shinsua.deviantart.com/ Shinsua

    Wow. My apologies for “double commenting”, but I think I’m already sick of reading “OH, SHI- CHANGE! IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD ( of GUST )!”
    Nothing’s even happened yet, and there’s merely confirmation that Tecmo Koei plans on creating a social game based on the Atelier series.
    Hold tight your britches and bear what storm rages ahead; Lest you never know what rests beyond the wind and rain.

  • puchinri

    Apparently, Koei only knows how to invest in DoA and Dynasty+Samurai Warriors now? How did everyone suddenly forget Fatal Frame, Monster Rancher and other niche stuff they develop and/or publish? x’D

    Really, my favorite Koei (published) game is Opoona, and since it seems like they’re capable of diverse publishing (and development, to a point), I’m not worried.

    And starting things off with a social game doesn’t mean a thing. It could be Animal Crossing set in some Aterlier-verse for all we know. Which wouldn’t be bad at all…

    (Koei gives Japan otome games too, so more reason for me to love them, at least.)

    • Kitestwinblades

      We sure could use another monster rancher game. I love that series to death!

      • puchinri

        That would be fabulous! Though whether or not we’d see it also matters. ouo;
        Hopefully, they do make another title soon and we’ll see it localized~!

    • Testsubject909

      I want another Kagero/Tecmo’s Deception.

      And none of that sissy “Oh look at me, I’m a frail woman who was taken/captured/tricked by an evil/alien/demon into committing horrible crimes of killing people with elaborate traps for my own survival, woe is me” crap.

      I want some of the original’s “My brother framed me for the murder of my father and turned me into the hatred figure of the entire people whose fickle heart I now loathe and despise. I freely and willingly give myself to any power that may grant me revenge upon my traitorous kin and people but in the end still retain enough choice to choose to redeem myself by sealing the same evil that I have taken a pact with or fully delve into becoming the true dark lord of the mansion I now occupy, not only building traps, but also expanding the mansion by the same power that enables me to create my contraptions of doom and also construct my own servants of hell by using the captured still living bodies of those unfortunate enough not to die by my blade or have their souls sacrificed to my dark lord for the magical strength that enables me to craft all of these by sheer will.” awesomeness…

      Seriously. Enough with the frail woman route. At least give us one badass “Screw the world” with possible redemption route female lead like you did the first Tecmo game (though that one had a male character). Seriously, it’d make the game that much better.

      • puchinri

        I have never heard of this series before, though I am interested now, and I love your description. x’D

        Agreed 1000% though! I’d Day One it when it gets announced if they actually did it.

  • puchinri

    Apparently, Koei only knows how to invest in DoA and Dynasty+Samurai Warriors now? How did everyone suddenly forget Fatal Frame, Monster Rancher and other niche stuff they develop and/or publish? x’D

    Really, my favorite Koei (published) game is Opoona, and since it seems like they’re capable of diverse publishing (and development, to a point), I’m not worried.

    And starting things off with a social game doesn’t mean a thing. It could be Animal Crossing set in some Aterlier-verse for all we know. Which wouldn’t be bad at all…

    (Koei gives Japan otome games too, so more reason for me to love them, at least.)

  • lurkingsalt

    Gust is a very small company. If all Koei/Tecmo did was boost their employees for their projects, then they could make them bigger/better. At least I would hope so.

  • lurkingsalt

    Gust is a very small company. If all Koei/Tecmo did was boost their employees for their projects, then they could make them bigger/better. At least I would hope so.

  • http://twitter.com/willofsilver Silver Lion

    You mean Atelier Warriors

    • Testsubject909

      Atelier Rancher is more to my liking.

  • http://twitter.com/willofsilver Silver Lion

    You mean Atelier Warriors

  • http://twitter.com/py0npy0njump eiji

    Not a bad idea.

  • http://twitter.com/py0npy0njump eiji

    Can’t wait for my Atelier beat ‘em up game and DoA cameos.

    Not really.

  • Hraesvelgr

    Those were mergers and not acquisitions, though.

  • kroufonz

    i just hope they don’t destroy the franchise

    also hope KT can also do the following thing:
    - Give Gust bigger budget and expand the studio to make even more beautiful PS3 JRPG!
    - Bring/ remake Japan only Gust title overseas
    - Let Gust revive old KT franchise (monster rancher for example)
    - Preserve the Dual voice on localized Gust RPG (i am not really worried about this since KT newer game pretty much have dual voice DWG3 or DW7XL for example)

    anyway atelier musou incoming , sterk and gio will join musou orochi 2 and will be guest character on DOA5 :P

  • Xerain

    As far as I know, if Tecmo said “We are going to buy the majority of Gust’s stock” and immediately proceeded to do so without first making an offer to Gust (usually to buy their stock at above market value), it would be considered hostile.

    Hostile doesn’t refer to any sort of feelings between the companies, it refers to taking one taking over the other without having made made an offer first, or in spite of a made offer being rejected.

    The article doesn’t state whether an offer was made or not, so we can’t truly conclude if it was hostile or not based on this article. But it kind of sounds like could be.

  • Testsubject909

    Tecmo Koei [edited a small mistake] deals in more niche titles that seem to be overshadowed by their more popular DW/SW and Ninja Gaiden games that people love to hate for no reason other then they love to hate it. (Albeit with Ninja Gaiden, it seems there’s more love then hatred but there’s still a fair few haters out there)

    Everyone forgot about Kagero/Tecmo’s Deception/Trapt…

  • Testsubject909

    I’m hoping for Monster Rancher combining itself with some of Atelier’s flair and charm. or vice versa.

  • Testsubject909

    Or Monster Rancher creatures in Atelier games.

  • Testsubject909

    Independence and being small are two things that don’t mix well together in the gaming industry. One has to go at one point or another.

    If they don’t grow, then they lose their independence and vice versa.

  • Testsubject909

    Monster Rancher Atelier?

    You sir, have little imagination.

  • Joanna

    Is there any way for them to not be bought out? Seems a bit unfair that company X can buy all your stock and you are forcibly brought under them. Not that I’m implying this is what is happening here, but suppose a smaller company wanted to remain independent, it seems like they really don’t have much of a choice in the matter. :| (Also are the current stock holders just going to give their stocks away like that? Oh sure Tecmo Koei, I’ll sell you my stock? (In the case of Monolith, it was sort of a switch between Namco and Nintendo- with Nintendo already owning a fair sum- so I guess what I’m wondering is are the stocks concentrated in one place with Gust? Or else it seems Tecmo is going to have a bit of work on their hands “persuading” the individual stock holders.)

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