Well, I think this might have taken some gamers by surprise. It’s been a few weeks since SEGA bought out Atlus’ parent company, Index Holdings (and therefore Atlus too), and now it looks like Atlus is closing down its official forums and will be using Facebook and Twitter for all its social activity.
Here’s the announcement left on the Atlus forums, by the forum’s Site Admin, Onion of Mystery:
It is my sad duty to be the bearer of ill tidings, forumgoers. Below is a special message from our PR Manager. Please read it carefully.
| Gather round, dear friends. We have some sad news for you – we’ve decided to close down our forums for the foreseeable future. In two weeks, we’re going to basically wipe all the content, so if you have any threads you want to save or screen cap for posterity, now is the time to do it.Why are we going all Blockbuster Video on the forums? Two main reasons, really. First: we have awesome fans, and the overwhelming majority of them spend more time on Facebook and Twitter. In this business, it’s adapt or die, so we’re refocusing our efforts on social media. But in the great expanse of the world wide internets, you’ll find plenty of exceptional ATLUS fans – the ones who keep our game Wiki pages alive, create walkthroughs on GameFAQs, cosplay, create fan art or fan fiction, etc. So even if you actively avoid having a social media presence, we’re sure you’ll find some other great ATLUS fan community to be a part of.Second: we have a lot of games coming out in the coming months/years, and we just don’t have the time to police the forums they way we did in the past. It’s become a barren echo chamber over the past couple of months, with no practical solution in sight (other than the Ol’ Yeller method, that is). So there you have it. We’re pulling the plug, because its time has come. The last day the forum will be active is Friday, Nov. 22. You can still find us though. We’re alive and well on Facebook, Twitter, and our ATLUS Faithful email newsletter! Happy Trails, John Hardin ATLUS Forum Euthenics Manager |
I think a lot of people might see this as some crazy action taken by SEGA, but I don’t think it’s as clandestine as that.
The reasons given here are quite sound, Facebook and Twitter have been leeching crowds from forums over the last few years – all the interaction is instant and smartphones these days give you alerts directly to your phone when a message is left on social media sites – making it that bit more easier to have those fun gaming discussions/arguments.
Also, it does look like Atlus’ forums (like so many others) are becoming more barren. Out of more than 60,000 members, only 462 are said to be active.
It’s a shame to see another forum close, but why should a company spend resources and money on running something that can be done for free through its Facebook and Twitter accounts?
Still, if you are an active member of the Atlus forums or have posted something on there you want t0 keep – you have just a couple of weeks to say your goodbyes and save anything you want to keep – because on November 22nd, it will all be gone…
