Even as Atlus celebrates thePersonafranchise’s past with various anniversary events, the eyes of fans lie onPersona’s future. Many wait with bated breath for a newPersonagame announcement, and not just because the 25th anniversary celebration makes it possible. Atlus has confirmed that it’s working onPersona 6right now, meaning a reveal could happen any day now.Persona 6is a mystery on the whole at the moment; Atlus hasn’t confirmed any major gameplay concepts, possible release windows, or even the platforms that it’ll be available on. At the moment, the possibilities forPersona 6are endless.
AnyPersona 6reveal would be great, but Atlus would be particularly wise to bring the game to light by the end ofPersona’s 25th anniversary celebration. Not only would it make sense to hint at the next generation of games within the event, but the event itself could use the support. So far,Persona’s anniversary event hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. While it makes sense that Atlus' plans haven’t been quite as extravagant as fans hoped, it still leaves a lot to be desired. APersona 6reveal, big or small, could massively help the event make up for its first impressions.
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The Persona Anniversary’s Reception
When Atlus first launched thePersonaanniversary’s website, a long list of projects raised hopes that Altus had several new games in development for the year. In contrast, the true events have been pretty modest. Lots of the anniversary content has involvedPersonamerchandise and sales on the games, rather than new games themselves. For instance, Atlus recently announceda line ofPersona-themed mouthwashinspired by the protagonists of several games. The newPersonamerchandise spawned during the anniversary event is highly diverse, but it’s a far cry from the games that fans wanted to see.
Because of this, thePersonaanniversary has left a sour taste in the mouths of fans overall. 25 years is a major anniversary for any video game franchise to reach, so it stands to reason that Atlus would want to do something big, potentially releasing a new game as a part of the event.Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s portto current platforms seems like a halfway attempt at that, but as a spinoff that’s already a few years old, it isn’t quite as remarkable as a new game would be. At the moment, the 25thPersonaanniversary celebration is poised to become more of a blot on the franchise’s reputation than a warm memory.
That’s whyPersona 6ought to rear its headin one form or another by the end of the event. In spite of all the modest events that have added up to the anniversary thus far, aPersona 6reveal could give the entire event an incredibly strong ending that helps to make up for the event’s current status as a letdown. Atlus hasn’t shed much light on the current status ofPersona 6,so it’s hard to say what a reveal within 2022 could feasibly look like, but anything would be better than nothing.
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A Good Time for Persona 6
However much content Atlus reveals this year, any amount ofPersona 6content would be good. Ideally Atlus has had enough time to put together a gameplay trailer for fans to enjoy, offering an opportunity to gauge howPersona 6builds onPersona 5’s new ideas. It’s possible that recent ports, remasters, andnew games likePersona 5 Strikershave kept Atlus too busy to preparePersona 6gameplay for this year, however. Even in that case, though, Atlus may be able to arrange a cinematic trailer that provides some insight onPersona 6’s plot and central themes.
Regardless of how the 25th anniversary event has gone, an anniversary is an ideal time to discussthe next generation ofPersona.Notably,Persona 5released during the 20th year ofPersona’s life, making it an excellent marker of a significant franchise birthday. While the odds ofPersona 6releasing before 2023 seem extremely low due to the lack of information about the game and Atlus' recent projects, it could at least follow inPersona 5’s footsteps by givingPersona 6some visibility and publicity.
The moment for aPersona 6reveal is also right because majorPersona 5support seems to have wound down. BothPersona 5 RoyalandPersona 5 Strikersreleased internationally a long time ago, and as far as fans can tell, there aren’t any plans for otherPersona 5successors or spinoffs. If Atlus isn’t going to reveal another game for thePersona 5suite anytime soon, then it might as well start publicly focusing onPersona 6as soon as it can.Persona 5crossovers in other gamesmay be ongoing, but Atlus can focus its own resources onPersona 6now.
It’s entirely possible that Atlus will surprise fans with an entirely newPersonaproject before the end of the anniversary.Persona 6would be a strong way to wrap up the event, butso wouldPersona 5 Arenaor some other unexpectedPersona 5successor. In general, it makes sense that Atlus is saving something special for thePersonaanniversary’s end just to end the year with a bang, but at the moment,Persona 6is the most likely surprise, simply because Atlus has confirmed its development. Nothing is certain, but until Atlus deconfirms any near-futurePersona 6reveals, aPersona 6trailer as the anniversary celebration’s conclusion is plausible.
Regardless of the unexpected contents of thePersonaanniversary celebration, Atlus has still done great things with the franchise in the last few years. The influx of fans brought on byPersona 5setsPersona 6up for serious success while creating more potential interest inAtlus' broader roster ofMegami Tenseigames.Persona’s increasing availability on multiple platforms and its trends towards international releases also inspire optimism for bold action from Atlus in the future. Good things should lie ahead for thePersonafranchise no matter how quiet the 25th anniversary celebration has been. HopefullyPersona 6rears its head to act as a sign of that bright future.
Persona 6is in development.
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