The Atelier series is a series of fourteen (or twenty, depending on how you count them) RPGs developed by Gust Corporation of Japan, with some localized by Nippon Ichi Software. The franchise had been exclusive to Japan (with Atelier Marie, Elie, Lilie, Judie, and Violet) until the release of the first game in the Iris trilogy in the United States in 2005. Its most recent North America-released iteration is Atelier Meruru. The series also possesses a brief manga depicting some Alternate Universe adventures between the first two heroines, brought to America courtesy of Tokyopop.