Today marks the Japanese launch of the latest installment in Gust’s flagship franchise, Atelier. The newest game, called Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3, is likely to follow the trend of its elders. That is to say, selling like hotcakes… or rather, hotcakes that were synthesized out of cabbage, water, logs, and a pair of sandals.
In the first two weeks or so of their respective releases, gamers in Japan had trouble finding either Meruru‘s two immediate predecessors, Rorona and Totori as they were sold out practically everywhere. This month, the game will find itself going head to head with another Japanese juggernaut from the Yakuza series in Ryu Ga Gotoku: Of the End by Sega. Released on the ninth of this month, Of the End is off to a phenomenal start, already shipping almost half a million units to retail shops across the country.
In my biking past local game shops today, Meruru was already sold out at one of them, as it had a sign posted to say as much. “There is no Atelier Meruru,” it said. “Copies will come tomorrow.”
All signs are pointing towards good Japanese sales for Meruru. We’ll see if who ends up being number one overall though, as topping a Yakuza game is a tall order. Congratulations go out to the teams behind these two hot-selling games.
