Is Atlus USA expanding into digital distribution?

Atlus mailed out a survey to their “faithful” audience with a focus on current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners. The survey covers a range of topics such as online play, what elements factor into a purchase, and the price of downloadable PS3/Xbox 360 games. The survey actually mentions downloadable games twice, but the other time is a litmus test to see if their fanbase like them or not.

So far Atlus of Japan has not mentioned any plans to release downloadable games for any platform. Of course there could be a downloadable project or two in the pipeline. This could be a first clue that such a project exists. Or this survey could be the first indication that the US subsidiary is moving into internal game development. Digitally distributed games typically cost less to create, which makes the medium attractive to smaller studios. Perhaps a small studio inside Atlus USA or a studio contracted by Atlus USA.

Images courtesy of Atlus.