Atlus and Sting today announced a business tie-up covering the fields of game development and publishing. Under today's agreement, Atlus will acquire the exclusive publishing rights to all Sting-developed titles at home and abroad. While Atlus obtains high-quality development capabilities and popular IPs through the deal, Sting will gain access to Atlus' superior publishing and distribution channels.

As a result of the tie-up, the Shin Megami Tensei makers hope to increase unit sales by 50% during the next fiscal year. Moreover, Atlus' aim is to secure a spot in the "Top 5" of RPG makers. To reach this goal, the company is apparently also considering the option of letting Sting work on Atlus' own IPs in the future.

Tokyo-based Sting is best known as the shop behind Baroque, Riviera, Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare. It is worth noting that all four of these games have been published (or in the latter case, will soon be published) in North America by Atlus USA.

• Official Atlus Website (Japanese)