It has been an interesting time for KOEI Tecmo, with them seeing a stronger release output in the West – especially with the Atelier Series. In an interview with Miketendo64 (who we also reported on for Warriors Orochi 4), some interesting information has come to light about the series and it’s place in the Western market.
With the Atelier Arland Trilogy coming this December, as well as Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists and Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ coming first half of 2019, it’s to no surprise that the Atelier Series must be selling well for these continued releases. Producers Junzo Hosoi and Keisuke Kikuchi remarked how the games are selling well on both PS4 and Nintendo Switch in the west.
“As sales numbers in North America and Europe were similar on PlayStation 4 and Switch versions, it seems this title could reach players new to the Atelier series.”
They also discussed the possibility of Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists becoming it’s own series of games, even though it is primarily a spin-off.
“We have developed this title while thinking about making a series out of it if it is successful. Adding in further instalment’s characters from future Atelier series games will allow fresh and exciting possibilities.”
There was also some interesting insights into the creation of a new series within the Atelier realms, with the producers elaborating a fair amount.
“The theme of the Atelier series is true-to-life “growing up” as well as how one’s perception of their surrounding changes along with this growth.
As such, we think of a central idea for each title such as “friendship” or “family” and build our story around it.
In this title [Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists], various alchemists will appear and we wanted them to cooperate with the protagonist by having them aim for common goals, hence this concept of searching for ancient legacies.”
The producers and Miketendo64 go into much more detail, mainly focused on the two upcoming titles arriving next year. You can check out the full interview here!
Are you glad the Atelier Series is doing well in the West? Are you excited for these two new titles coming in 2019? Let us know in those comments!
>> Check out our Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists game page now!
>> Check out our Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ game page now!
>> Check out our report of the Miketendo64 interview for Warriors Orochi 4 now!