ThePersonafranchise has been at the forefront of the JRPG category in the last several years. Atlus has been unrelenting with its efforts of developingPersona, pushing out entry after entry in relatively short periods. The short developmental periods have not impacted the quality of its new releases, as the latest franchise installment -Persona 5 Strikers- was one of the higher-rated RPGs upon its debut in 2020.Persona’s consistent excellence in spite of hiatuses being few and far between is awe-inspiring, and it is worth noting the franchise has only gone a total of eight years without a new entry since its inception.
The JRPG scene has been dominated by long-runninggames likeFinal FantasyandDragon Quest, and both giants have an impressive track record of consistency in releases. Atlus seems to be following the examples set by these titles with the view to makingPersonaa long-running franchise of its own accord, and the developer has amassed an accomplished game catalog sincePersonafirst burst on the scene withRevelations: Persona. The series has a slightly different formula for progression thanFinal FantasyandDragon Quest, using spin-offs and re-releases to expand on its high school life simulation and dungeon-crawling gameplay.
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Persona 6’s Omission and a History of Persona Editions
Given Atlus' track record of development, speculation aboutPersona 6and the improvements it could bring started to surface even before the release ofPersona 5 Strikers. However, official information has been scant, and the hotly-anticipated title was conspicuously missing fromPersona’s 25th Anniversary Celebrationin 2022. There may be more than a few uncomfortable murmurs in the fan base about this omission, but it’s important to note this window isn’t the longest fans have gone without a new release in the main series.
Revelations: Personahit the markets in late 1996, and Atlus only gave a break of two years before releasing the sequels,Persona 2: Innocent SinandPersona 2: Eternal Punishment, in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Between the firstPersonaentry and thePersona 2: Innocent Sinsequel, Atlus was occupied with expanding the titles of its other franchises, releasingDevil Summoner: Soul Hackerson both the Sega Saturn and PlayStation consoles. During this period, Atlus worked on several games of smaller repute, showing the developer was eager to try its hand at multiple projects simultaneously.
Growlanserreleased in the period between dual sequelsPersona 2: Innocent SinandPersona 2: Eternal Punishment, and one of Atlus' biggest projects,Shin Megami Tensei, would get its first release in the West throughShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneshortly afterEternal Punishment’s debut. ThePersonafranchise didn’t get any additions - either by way of spin-offs or main series - for the next six years. This marks the longest drought in the entire series, as Atlus shifted its focus to itsGrowlanserandShin Megami Tenseifranchises, withGrowlanserhaving a solid four editions in its catalog by the timePersona 3arrived in 2006.
ThePersonafranchise added a new title to its resume each year until 2010, with gamers gettingPersona 4just two years afterPersona 3in 2008. Evidence suggests Atlus was performing at peak capacity, as the two-year gap represents the shortest timeframe between two additions in the mainPersonaseries. It is plausible to suggest the developer spent a considerable chunk of the six years between the releases ofPersona 2: Eternal PunishmentandPersona 3with an eye on the future, fully fleshing out thestorylinePersona 4was going to follow.
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The Developmental Shift to P-Studio Brought Focus on Quality
2010 was an uncharacteristically quiet year for Atlus. The developer churned out only seven titles, the fewest in any year since before thePersonafranchise was born. One reason for its slow year could be its merger in October, and this would merely prove to be a minor bump in the road asPersonawould get new releases each year from 2011 to 2016. Atlus used this time to focus mainly onPersonaspin-off projects and developing othergames likeEtrian Odyssey, and it would be eight years afterPersona 4beforePersona’s main series got a new entry inPersona 5.
Atlus' dedicatedPersonadivision P-Studio kept fans entertained with multiplePersona 4spin-offs, like the enhanced PS Vita releasePersona 4 Golden. In recent years, the developer has slowed down the volume of its releases, favoring quality over quantity. SincePersona 5’s release in 2016 and the subsequent production break in 2017, P-Studio has churned out three follow-ups of the Game of The Year award winner, the most recent beingPersona 5 Strikers. Judging from the eight-year gap betweenPersona 4and5, a pattern is emerging in Atlus' mode of operation. Older releases are revisited first with spin-offs and rereleases before adding to the main series, as it has done in the six-odd years sincePersona 5.
Atlus may haveomitted any mention ofPersona 6from the anniversary celebrations, but past behavior and rumors on the grapevine tell gamers to expect the new addition soon. ConsideringPersona’s track record of high-quality releases, it can be assumed Atlus is carefully craftingPersona 6. ShouldPersona 6be released before the start of 2025, and if the series continues, gamers can expect the pattern of revisiting old releases and spin-offs to repeat itself.
