Atlus has reportedly joined forces with Tose Software for an upcoming game, as per a well-known leaker. The companies previously worked together in the '90s, co-creating two games for the PS1 era, both released under Atlus.
Established in 1979, Tose is a game developer based in Kyoto, with a rich history of over 1,000 projects spanning 44 years. While Tose has independently developed notable titles like Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, it mainly functions as an outsourcing studio that covers various genres without seeking public recognition. Despite collaborating with major players such as Nintendo and Sony, Tose remains relatively unknown to gamers, even though its involvement in successful games has been substantial.
Among Tose's ongoing projects is an undisclosed Atlus game for which it is providing development support, as revealed by Sega leaker Midori on March 14. The leaker did not reveal further details, leaving it ambiguous whether the cooperation pertains to an unrevealed project or one of Atlus's already announced titles. If the latter is the case, the possibilities include Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance and Metaphor: ReFantazio, set to launch on June 21 and in fall 2024, respectively. Given Tose's expertise in ports and the multi-platform nature of both games, either title could benefit from Tose's involvement.
Tose's Past Work Includes a Game Influencing Persona Series
Reviewing the known collaborations between Atlus and Tose provides limited clues regarding Midori's mentioned project. Their initial joint venture was the SMT spin-off Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, an exclusive PS1 release from 1997. The following year, Tose partnered with Red Entertainment on Thousand Arms, another PS1 game blending JRPG mechanics with dating sim elements, predating the popularity of such features in Persona 3 by nearly a decade.
Considering Tose's discreet approach to white label development, it's plausible that the company has contributed uncredited work to numerous Atlus titles over time. The limited list of confirmed PS1 collaborations between the two isn't sufficient to speculate about their potential upcoming project.
Recent rumors suggest Atlus is exploring several Persona remakes and a remastered version of a PS2-era SMT game. According to Midori, these projects, except for the enigmatic remaster—possibly an HD edition of SMT: Digital Devil Saga or DDS 2—are in early stages of development and unlikely to be released soon. Persona 6, confirmed by Atlus to be in progress since summer 2021, is anticipated to debut before the speculated remakes, possibly by 2026 at the latest.