RPGFan News - April Fools 2011: Square Enix Acquires Gust Corporation

April Fools 2011: Square Enix Acquires Gust Corporation
Ar tonelico to become a part of "polymorphic content."
04.01.11 - 2:03 AM

Square Enix has announced that they have acquired Gust Corporation, developers of such niche series as Ar tonelico, Atelier, and Mana Khemia. Gust had previously worked mostly with Banpresto in Japan and with NIS America in the US, but Square Enix will now handle publishing on both sides of the ocean. Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix, added the following statement:

"We are happy to bring the quality brands of Gust Corporation under the Square Enix umbrella. Japanese fans have clamored over the anime-styled characters of the Atelier and Ar Tonelico titles and we are happy to expand these titles into Square Enix's trademark polymorphic content. We are honored to have in development many titles that will expand on the jackpot that these niche titles represent. For example, we will be expanding the Ar tonelico series beyond Qoga and into three separate branches of what we are calling Hymnos Eternia. The three titles currently in development are Ar tonelico Amyure, Ar tonelico Balduo, and Ar tonelico Deleir."

Wada goes on to describe the three titles. Ar tonelico Amyure combines the rhythm elements of Qoga's battle system with more modern music, allowing players to enter one-on-one combat while gaining power with attacks on beat with popular music. The title is slated for release on NGP and 3DS and will be based on the Dissidia engine.

Ar tonelico Balduo, developed by North American studio Robomodo, is an extreme V-boarding game, the sport fans will be familiar with. Playing as more than 12 pro V-boarders, the title uses the engine from the now-defunct Tony Hawk series. Players who have purchased Activision's skateboards will be able to use these boards with Ar tonelico Balduo.

The last title, Ar tonelico Deleir, takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and will follow a lone warrior as he traverses the wasteland searching for his mother. Along the way, he will have to fight a horde of zombie Reyvateils to complete his quest.

Wada did not expand on the other titles under Gust's umbrella specifically, though he did mention that other titles would be considered for polymorphic content if successful. No release dates have been set for any of these titles.