Atlus Brings Photo Phenom West

Atlus Co. is bringing the latest Japanese fad - sticker photos - to Europe this summer and the US this September.

Technically, it's not a video game. However, the Print Club photo machine is found mainly in arcades and was developed by arcade companies (and game makers) Atlus and Sega Enterprises Ltd. The machine makes a sheet of 16 stickers with pre-printed backgrounds.

Sega, Itochu Corp., IBM Japan Ltd., and other companies are expected to invest in a sales subsidiary, and they're banking on sales of 8,000 machines at retailers and hotels by the end of the year.

In Europe, Atlus will team with London-based Photo Me International, which will install 2,000 Print Club machines next to its own by 1998. Currently, Atlus is exporting the machine to countries in Southeast Asia on a trial basis.