For the longest time, video game adaptions were passable at best and mind-boggling at worst. Sega has been one of the more successful publishers to adapt its works, making a pair of Sonic the Hedgehog movies that were received well and respectful of the source material. The company has now revealed to IGN that it wants to continue this success and start adapting some titles developed by Atlus, one of its most acclaimed studios.
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Sega Lead Producer Toru Nakahara said he sees Atlus games as a natural fit for non-gaming mediums.
“Atlus’ worlds are filled with high drama, cutting-edge style and compelling characters,” he said. “Stories like those from the Persona franchise really resonate with our fans and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no one has seen — or played — before. Together, Sega and Atlus, are working to bring these stories and worlds to life through new mediums and for new audiences.”
Sega didn’t have any hard facts to share about specific adaptions or production companies, but it seems that everything currently under the Atlus banner is up for consideration. Persona, Catherine, and Shin Megami Tensei are among three possible candidates from the studio’s gameography. All three have been generally applauded for their style and storytelling.
Persona and Shin Megami Tensei have lived in other mediums, too. For example, Persona: Trinity Soul was a spin-off of the third game and Persona 4: The Animation, Persona 4: The Golden Animation, and Persona 5: The Animation were loose retelling of those corresponding titles. These are just a small sampling of other non-gaming media related to the Shin Megami Tensei brand. However, almost all of these were animated (except for the live-action Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, which ran for two seasons spanning 1997 and 1998) and now Sega is also searching for live-action adaptations this time around.
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Sega is certainly not the only company exploiting its gaming IP for use in more traditional media spaces. Sony has adaptions of The Last of Us, Gran Tursimo, Twisted Metal, Horizon, and God of War in the works. Microsoft’s Halo just had a shaky first season premiere on Paramount+ and Nintendo’s most famous plumber is having another go-around on the silver screen in 2023.
