Persona is doing really well for itself. There’s an unbelievable amount of Persona content on the market right now, all thanks to the explosion in popularity that the franchise has seen in the last few years. Ever since Persona 3, there’s been international attention on these games, but it was Persona 5 that really kicked off a craze and vastly multiplied Persona‘s fanbase. Atlus deserves to celebrate what it’s achieved with this JRPG franchise—and this year, it will. Persona turns 25 next September, and Atlus has already teased big plans for the year. Although those plans are a mystery, fans already know they can look forward to Persona 5 Strikers.
Persona 5 Strikers has been out in Japan for a long time now, leaving many Western fans tantalized, but its international release is only a few weeks away. Traditionally, getting these games localized can be difficult, but here, it only makes 2021 a bigger year. As a result, many Fans are eagerly speculating what the teased Persona anniversary announcements could be, and ultimately, it’s pretty hard to say. Persona 5 Strikers plays a central role in the year, but it’s also part of the mystery.
Persona 5 Strikers is something special, as far as the franchise goes. Although the series isn’t afraid of spinoffs in other genres, with Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight and Persona‘s other rhythm-based dance games being core examples, Strikers does a lot of unconventional things. It’s influenced by Dynasty Warriors and involves more hack-and-slash gameplay than the standard turn-based RPG fare of the core series. Still, those who have had the chance to preview Persona 5 Strikers speak warmly of the gameplay, considering it a strong blend of Dynasty Warriors‘ nonstop action and Persona‘s traditions.
Perhaps the biggest question that Persona 5 Strikers poses for this year’s announcements is what it means for Persona 5 as a potential sub-franchise. The Persona 5 developer ha said before that this game is functionally a sequel to Persona 5. Its plot does seem to directly follow up on the events of the first game, bringing the Phantom Thieves back together for another adventure. However, some fans want more Phantom Thief content than Strikers alone can provide. It’s certainly possible that Atlus decides to make another Persona 5 sequel, but it might not want to walk that path again. Persona loves its standalone stories, and so it would be a huge break in convention to focus solely on these characters.
On the other hand, breaks in Persona convention don’t actually seem that impossible anymore lately. Persona 5 Strikers was a very surprising concept for a spinoff even if fans are looking forward to it. Atlus looks like it’s trying new things with Persona, and it might feel inclined to break convention again if it likes the Phantom Thieves as much as fans do. Persona 5 took eight years to develop, but a sequel in the franchise’s usual style would have a lot of content to work with. It could come a lot sooner than the first game did.
Even with all that Persona 5 Strikers stands for, it wouldn’t be fair to Persona to limit speculation just to what could be in store for Persona 5 this year. The surprising style and release platforms of Persona 5 Strikers do represent a larger movement in the franchise, though. Fans really do have to be on their toes and increasingly prepared for surprises. For example, Persona 4 Golden was famously shadow dropped on Steam last year, to the delight of a great many Persona veterans. Revisiting the previous game is a great way for new Persona fans to get to know the series and bond with nostalgic die-hard fans.
Such a bold move as a shadow drop is generally out of character for the slow and cautious Atlus. It never seems to take it on faith that Western fans are interested in side games or speedy releases, and that’s why suddenly porting Persona 4 to PC and releasing it immediately makes Atlus hard to predict this year. For instance, while it could go for obvious choices like a coveted Persona 5 PC release or a Persona 3 remake, it could also take a gamble on remaking the first two Persona games. They’re very different from the modern games, but they’re hugely influential and still have their fans.
Above all, there’s the shadow of a possible Persona 6. If it’s in development, Atlus has done a good job making sure fans don’t see hide nor hair of it. The future of the franchise is carefully under wraps. However, it’s pretty unfeasible that Atlus doesn’t have any idea where it wants to go from here. Persona 6 could easily have been in planning stages shortly after Persona 5‘s release. The question becomes how much the game’s surge in popularity will affect Persona 6. Atlus certainly didn’t see the Persona 5 hype train coming. If Persona 6 has already had a few years in development, then there’s still a chance it comes out in 2021. At the very least, it’s bound to be announced.
Another good question is how big Atlus wants the 25th anniversary to be. Since it has so many options available to it, it could try for as many of them as it can muster. After Persona 5 Strikers gets it international release, Persona 6 could get revealed with a Persona 3 remaster as a cherry on top. Atlus has the experience and resources to push itself in this way. Although it’d certainly be a lot of work leading up to the anniversary, the fanbase is passionate enough that such a tightly packed year would surely be a success.
It can’t be denied that Atlus has kept itself busy recently. Since Persona 5‘s release, it worked on Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5 Strikers, and the Persona 4 Golden remaster. Fans can’t help wondering how many more projects in the franchise it could have fit in over the last couple years. If Atlus settles for one really big announcement after Strikers, it’ll be understandable, and it’ll probably still make 2021 memorable as an important year for Persona. At this point, anything seems possible. While it’s exciting to wait and think about the many possibilities, it’ll be even more exciting to have something concrete to look forward to.
Persona 5 Strikers releases on February 23, 2021 for PC, PS4, and Switch.
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