Tokyo-based Index Corp., the struggling owner of Japanese game developer and publisher Atlus, is seeking 15 billion JPY (US$148.7 million) in part from the auction sale of Atlus titles to assist in dealing with 24.5 billion JPY (US$242.9 million) in debt.
Index develops games for Nintendo NDS, Sony PlayStation and smartphones, and acquired Atlus in 2006. The company recently claimed bankruptcy due in part to investment losses from earlier acquisitions.
Atlus is best known for its commercially successful and critically acclaimed Megami Tensei and Persona RPG series.
Suggestions are that a Nintendo-led acquisition of Atlus may be imminent, with the situation to become clearer after auction bidding concludes, and presumably before shares of bankrupt parent Index are delisted by the Osaka Securities Exchange at the end of July.
