It appears the first result of the end of the partnership between NIS America and Atlus in Europe has become visible, as Dragon’s Crown was removed from the EU PlayStation Store. Curiously, the game was actually part of the Big in Japan sale which we covered recently, making the removal of the game even more of a surprise. Fortunately, it appears the game will be returning to the PlayStation Store, as Atlus will be selling the game directly. NIS America has issued this statement to various gaming websites:
With regards to our previous statements on Dragon’s Crown for the European PSN, we must extend our deepest apologies to Atlus and European fans regarding the incorrect information about the removal from this store.
The removal of Dragon’s Crown from the European PSN was part of NIS America’s and Atlus’s mutual agreement on this title. We are happy to announce that Dragon’s Crown will be available directly from Atlus in Europe through PSN.
Please look forward to Dragon’s Crown returning to the European PSN soon.
Whether or not more Atlus games published by NISA will be rendered unavailable on the EU PlayStation Store is unclear, as NISA Europe doesn’t appear to have all the information themselves. It also not clear if the game will be back on sale on the EU PlayStation Store before the end of the Big in Japan sales.
Source: NISA Europe Twitter account, via Eurogamer.