🇬🇧 English

Game studio

Atlus

49 games in the catalogue ⏱ 1989–2024 19 platforms
Atlus – obaly her studia

Atlus is a Japanese development studio that, starting out as a smaller and long rather niche publisher, built itself a reputation as one of the most distinctive creators of Japanese RPGs. While the big players in the market bet on mass-market fantasy series, Atlus took the path of darker, more philosophical and stylistically bold worlds tied to occultism, demons and existential themes — led by the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series and its most successful branch, Persona. Persona, which blends a school-life simulator with tactical combat, has in recent years become one of the most distinctive hits in Japanese game design and has brought Atlus to the attention of a far wider audience than the studio had for most of its history.

History

Atlus was founded in Japan and in its early years established itself as a smaller developer focused on handheld and home console games, gradually building up its flagship Shin Megami Tensei series, built on collecting and negotiating with demons and a darker, more mature atmosphere than rival JRPGs. A turning point came with the expansion of this brand into the Persona spin-off, which combined demonic combat with a layer of school life, relationships and the passage of the calendar year — a concept that came into full bloom with Persona 3 and Persona 4 on the PlayStation 2. These installments defined the studio's unmistakable visual style, distinctive music and emphasis on themes of growing up and identity, turning Persona into a cultural phenomenon that transcended the JRPG genre. Atlus also gradually built a reputation beyond its main series, for instance with the stylized Catherine, blending puzzle elements with a story about relationships, or spin-offs such as the rhythm game Persona 4: Dancing All Night. Over the course of its history the studio underwent changes in ownership, gradually coming under larger Japanese publishing groups, which gave it a more stable footing and wider distribution abroad. Portable releases such as Persona 4 Golden and later Persona 5 Royal showed how Atlus could keep developing and expanding its games even after their original release. Persona 5 then brought the studio its greatest international popularity to date and set the bar for the next major title, Metaphor: ReFantazio, which carried the proven formula into a fantasy setting.

Key figures

The long-standing key face of the studio is Katsura Hashino, who served as director on the major Persona titles, including Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5, shaping their characteristic blend of daily routine and combat against demons. His authorial signature, visible in the themes of adolescence, masks and personal identity, is one of the reasons Persona became recognizable even outside the circle of traditional JRPG players. Alongside him, the studio's in-house art and music teams have long contributed to the series' visual identity, and their stylized artwork and distinctive soundtrack work are among the most recognizable elements of the entire Persona brand.

Today

Atlus today operates as an established studio under the wing of a larger Japanese publishing group and continues to develop its most successful brands, above all Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, including their remasters and expanded editions for new platforms. Its latest major title, Metaphor: ReFantazio, showed that the studio can carry its distinctive style beyond its established modern setting and reach a new generation of players with it. At the same time, Atlus is increasingly focused on a global audience, reflected in the growing number of language versions and faster international releases of its new games. The backing of a larger parent group also allows the studio to develop several major projects in parallel without having to abandon its characteristic, atmosphere- and theme-driven storytelling.

Games by the studio (49)

  1. Kwirk · 1989

    A Sokoban by Atlus with humor; pure logic.

    GB

  2. Shin Megami Tensei if... · 1994

    A side story confined to a single high school turned into a demonic labyrinth.

    SNES

  3. Shin Megami Tensei II · 1994

    Decades later in a devastated Tokyo; darker and more elaborate fusion.

    SNES

  4. Jack Bros. · 1995

    The first Western release of the Megami Tensei series, years before Persona became a household name.

    VB

  5. Persona (Revelations: Persona) · 1996

    The debut of Atlus's famous series; students summon Personas into battle in an isolated town.

    PS1

  6. Revelations: Persona · 1996

    Původní PlayStationová Persona z roku 1996, tvrdá a po západním zásahu upravená.

    PS1

  7. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers · 1997

    An Atlus JRPG with demon collecting in the style of SMT, set in a cyberpunk world.

    Saturn

  8. Persona 2: Innocent Sin · 1999

    A dark RPG from Atlus about a world where spreading rumors literally turn into reality.

    PS1 PSP

  9. Robopon: Sun Version / Star Version · 1999

    Atlus's take on Pokémon for the Game Boy Color; two versions with a collection of Robopon to trade.

    GBC

  10. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment · 2000

    A sequel to Innocent Sin with the Contact battle system — demons can be persuaded, frightened, or made to laugh.

    PS1

  11. Robopon 2: Cross Version / Ring Version · 2001

    A sequel about collecting robotic creatures, with an expanded story and new locations.

    GBC

  12. Shin Megami Tensei NINE · 2002

    The only main series entry exclusive to Xbox; also the first fully 3D installment.

    Xbox

  13. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne · 2003

    A dark, uncompromising JRPG set in a destroyed Tokyo, with demon recruitment and fusion.

    PS2

  14. Digital Devil Saga · 2004

    Atlus's JRPG set in the burned-out city of Junkyard, where gangs fight to survive and transform into demons.

    PS2

  15. Digital Devil Saga 2 · 2005

    The sequel carries its heroes into the chaotic real world and brings their story to a close.

    PS2

  16. Persona 3 · 2006

    A revolutionary fusion of JRPG and student-life simulator; school by day, fighting demons by night.

    PS2

  17. Etrian Odyssey · 2007

    An old-school dungeon crawler where you draw the labyrinth's map yourself on the touchscreen.

    DS

  18. Persona 4 · 2008

    The PS2's swan song and, for many, one of the best JRPGs ever; murders hidden inside a television.

    PS2

  19. Devil Survivor · 2009

    A turn-based strategy in besieged Tokyo; every morning a death prediction arrives on the COMP device.

    DS

  20. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor · 2009

    The COMP program predicts who in the party will die and when – giving the turn-based battles a chilling edge.

    DS

  21. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona · 2009

    A remake of the very first Persona game, originally released under the title Revelations: Persona.

    PSP

  22. Radiant Historia · 2010

    An Atlus JRPG with an elaborate story; traveling between two timelines changes history.

    DS

  23. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey · 2010

    A dark sci-fi SMT; a military team investigates an anomaly consuming Antarctica while recruiting demons.

    DS

  24. Catherine · 2011

    Vincent climbs collapsing block towers amid relationship drama and puzzles.

    PS3

  25. Persona 3 Portable · 2011

    The gateway to modern Persona; an addictive daily cycle.

    PSP

  26. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 · 2011

    The Septentriones wipe entire regions of Japan off the map; a bus ride through the wreckage gives the story a wider scope.

    DS

  27. Etrian Odyssey IV · 2012

    A dungeon crawler where you draw the maze maps yourself by hand on the bottom screen.

    3DS

  28. Persona 4 Golden · 2012

    An expanded version of the cult JRPG from the PS2; possibly the strongest reason to get a Vita.

    PC Vita

  29. Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl · 2013

    A remake of the first Etrian Odyssey adds a story mode with ready-made heroes.

    3DS

  30. Shin Megami Tensei IV · 2013

    A dark, uncompromising JRPG with moral choices and the famous Press Turn battle system.

    3DS

  31. Persona 4: Dancing All Night · 2015

    The characters from Persona 4 dance against the supernatural; rhythm gameplay delivered as a visual novel.

    Vita

  32. Persona 5 · 2016

    A late but brilliant series peak; school life intertwined with dungeon crawling in the Metaverse.

    PS3 PS4

  33. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse · 2016

    A loose sequel set in the same devastated Tokyo, but with a more cynical third faction.

    3DS

  34. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE · 2016

    A curious crossover between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, set against the backdrop of Japanese showbiz.

    Wii U

  35. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux · 2017

    A chilling first-person exploration of the Antarctic anomaly Schwarzwelt.

    3DS

  36. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology · 2018

    Traveling between two timelines reshapes history; an expanded remake of a DS classic.

    3DS

  37. Persona 5 Royal · 2019

    An expanded version of Atlus's stylish JRPG; a school sim combined with dungeon crawling.

    PS4 Switch PS5

  38. Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth · 2019

    Adds Persona 5 to the crossover and traps the heroes in movie-themed labyrinths full of puzzles.

    3DS

  39. Shin Megami Tensei V · 2021

    A dark, philosophical JRPG from Atlus; Tokyo transformed into a desert full of ruins.

    Switch

  40. Persona 5 Tactica · 2023

    The Phantom Thieves in grid-based tactics reminiscent of XCOM; cover decides the battle.

    PS5

  41. Metaphor: ReFantazio · 2024

    From the Persona team; a fantasy about choosing a successor to the throne and a hidden fight against discrimination.

    PS5 Series

  42. Persona 3 Reload · 2024

    A remake of the 2006 classic; high-school social sim meets the Tartarus tower.

    PS5

  43. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance · 2024

    A 2021 SMT V expansion adding a darker storyline around Yoko; new demons and companions.

    Switch