We all love a good underdog story, and when it comes to Japanese role-playing games, the Atelier series has been a sleeping giant for more than two decades. It took about 21 tries before the series found mainstream success in the gaming industry.
The twenty-first game in the series, Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, was released in 2019 on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This entry served as a great introduction to the series and spawned two direct sequels.
Collectively, the three Atelier Ryza games, which include the first game, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, and Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, have reached a total of two million units shipped globally.
＼ #ライザ200万本 突破🎊／
— 「アトリエ」シリーズ公式@ライザ3 発売中&マリーリメイク7/13発売！ (@GustAtelierPR) June 27, 2023
この度『#ライザ』3作品の世界累計出荷が200万本を突破しました🙌😂本当にありがとうございます！
感謝を込めて描き下ろしイラストをお届けします✨さらに豪華グッズが当たるキャンペーンや、#ライザ２ 特典DLC再配信も決定🎉
詳細は▼https://t.co/gB64pALbFv pic.twitter.com/ayiIkM8iPL
This was announced through series developer Gust’s official Twitter, with the developer giving out special goodies to fans in Japan to celebrate the milestone. It is a new benchmark for the series and there are more things to enjoy from the franchise moving forward.
The Atelier series began in 1997 on the original PlayStation, with the first few entries being exclusive to Japan. English localisation began with the sixth entry, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, but the series was very much a cult hit more than anything.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout definitely changed all that, with the adventure of the young alchemist Ryza and her friends resonating with JRPG fans worldwide. This first game sees Ryza and her friends saving their hometown from a mysterious enemy.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy picks up three years after the first game with a trip to ancient ruins, while Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key’s story takes place a year after the second with the gang investigating islands going missing.
Since then, other entries have also been released in lieu of the Atelier franchise’s renewed interest with gamers across the world. This includes the long-awaited sequel Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream and an upcoming remake of the first game in the series, Atelier Marie.
If you’re interested in the Atelier Ryza trilogy, they are all currently available on sale through Steam as part of the Koei Tecmo Summer Sale. An upcoming anime adaptation will also be released sometime this year.
