Atlus’ parent company, Index Corporation, has been in a lot of hot water recently. The Japanese authorities have been investigating the company for fraud and false financial reporting. Unfortunately for gamers, it has finally caught up to them. It has been determined that the Index Corporation, which purchased Atlus in 2006, has 24.5 billion yen (~250 million dollars) in outstanding debt. The company has filed for bankruptcy just after the Japanese Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission determined the company was inflating sales. Index Corporation was using a technique called round-tripping, a practice that that helped Enron seem like a healthy company, when actually it was swimming in debt.
This leaves Altus in a vulnerable position. There is no word as to what the plans are with the publisher, but we hope to see them come through and keep producing quality games.