Atlus Plans Layoffs As Profits Plummet

Officials from Japanese video game and arcade developer Atlus have announced the company’s full year financial results, for the period ended March 31st. During this time the company made a net loss of ¥23 million ($0.22m), down from a profit of ¥37 million ($0.35m) the previous year. Sales were up 4 percent, although none of the company’s games, including Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2 and Duel Masters 3, managed to meet sales targets. As a result the company’s console game division saw an operational loss of ¥36 million ($0.34m). The huge cut in profits was attributed to rising development and marketing costs, with the cost of PC title Shin Megami Tensei Online being singled out as a particular burden on the company’s resources. The company expects to make a net loss in the next business year of ¥380 million ($3.6m), as a result of continued investment in new operations and the setting up of new amusement operations. As a result Atlus will produce less consumer titles, resulting in the redundancy of 30 employees – approximately 10 percent of the company’s workforce.