Since the release of Persona 5 in 2017, developer and publisher Atlus has seen a huge surge in popularity. The JRPG powerhouse developer has since gone on to release more major titles such as the expanded release of Persona 5 Royal, the action RPG spin-off Persona 5 Strikers, and the latest entry in its long-running Shin Megami Tensei series, Shin Megami Tensei 5.
With Atlus' latest boom in popularity, the studio has come very far since Persona 5's western release in April 2017, with bold moves such as making Shin Megami Tensei 5 as its first simultaneous worldwide release. 2022 promises to be one of the biggest years yet for Atlus fans, as the studio prepares to reveal new IP, announce long-awaited ports, and celebrate more of its beloved franchises and teams.
Atlus: Persona 25th Anniversary
In 2021, Atlus announced that for the Persona franchise's 25th anniversary it would be making a series of announcements. So far, these announcements have ranged from merchandising to the reveal of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax making its way to PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. These announcements are said to last all the way up to September 2022, so it's fair to assume fans will be seeing a lot more of these in the coming months. As for what they will be? It's hard to say right now, although it might not be unfair to assume that a port of Persona 4 Golden will be among them.
Ever since its port to PC in June 2020, there have been many rumors and reports that Persona 4 Golden will make its way to platforms such as Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, and while these rumors aren't completely without substance, the fact that Atlus has already announced ports for Arena Ultimax makes them appear somewhat odd. While it's entirely possible that Atlus could bring Persona 4 Golden to PS4 in 2022, the mainline franchise's relationship with platforms outside the PlayStation branding is still somewhat uncertain, so maybe fans should not hold their breath for mainline entries to come to non-PlayStation platforms outside of spin-offs in 2022.
PC has become a major factor in Atlus' plans though, and it seems likely that the developer is working on some sort of Persona 3 Portable port or remake for PC, based on the visual novel style conversion of Persona 3 which added a female protagonist and new Social Links to the game on top of much-needed quality of life improvements. Whether this version will make it to consoles is still up in the air, however.
Atlus: Persona 6
2022 is the first year since Persona 5's release where it seems somewhat likely that Atlus could be gearing up to announce the next major entry in the Persona franchise. Given that the Japanese release of Persona 5 was in September 2016, over five years ago, and that there was a five-year gap between the release of Persona 4 and the announcement of Persona 5, history would deem that Atlus could announce Persona 6 likely near the end of 2022.
History isn't always correct, however, and Atlus has seemingly been trying to learn from its mistakes in regard to announcing games too early, meaning this is still a major "if" scenario. Persona 5 underwent almost three years of delays from its original "Winter 2014" release window to its actual release in September 2016, so Atlus is likely trying to avoid the same with its sequel.
If Persona 6 is announced in 2022 however, it would be fair to expect Atlus to play the same hand it did with Persona 5, announcing the game as a cross-generational release. While recent reports have indicated that Persona 6 will be a PS5 exclusive, this is the same studio that stuck to its target platform of the PS3 all the way up to Persona 5's eventual release. Given the PS4's massive install base, it seems unlikely that Atlus will jump ship from it quicker than it did the PS3, especially given the console shortages affecting the PS5's sales in regions like Japan.
Atlus: Project Re Fantasy
First announced in 2017, Atlus' Project Re Fantasy is the project that many of the Persona 5 team moved on to after completing the long-awaited JRPG. Despite heavily teasing it for a 2021 reveal, Atlus still has yet to formally showcase the game in an official capacity and just recently confirmed that the game is reaching the end of its development. With this in mind, it seems 2022 will be the year Project Re Fantasy will be announced.
Knowing this, the game will probably be Atlus' big title for the year and could even release before the end of 2022. It would be fair to expect that Atlus might announce a native PS5 port for the game given the advantages gained from having a PS5 version in terms of performance, with PS4 remaining the main development platform similar to Persona 5's cross-generational release. Being a new IP, Project Re Fantasy is likely to be a major title for Atlus, especially with the huge pedigree of veteran Persona developers behind it, including Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino leading the project. The game will also likely be another simultaneous launch in the vein of Shin Megami Tensei 5.
Atlus: Vanillaware's Next Game
Finally is the latest title from 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir developer Vanillaware, a studio that has collaborated with Atlus on numerous projects ever since Odin Sphere's original release on the PS2. Following the major critical success of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and its upcoming Nintendo Switch port likely to boost attention towards the game, there are more eyes than ever anticipating Vanillaware's next title, which the studio surprisingly already teased before 13 Sentinels' release.
In 2019, after teasing it in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rims' Prologue Demo, Vanillaware's director George Kamitani confirmed that he was already working on the studio's next game, which will return to the fantasy settings of Dragon's Crown and Odin Sphere. After the tumultuous development of 13 Sentinels, this kind of pre-production likely means that Vanillaware could be preparing to announce its next big game in 2022, likely during Tokyo Game Show this September. The Nintendo Switch release of 13 Sentinels could even mean that the game could launch on Nintendo's platform alongside the expected PS4/PS5 versions, if it is yet again sticking with Vanillaware's beloved 2D hand-drawn animation style.
2022 Could Be Atlus' Year
These are just a few of the major reveals fans can expect from Atlus coming in 2022. There is a likelihood of even more big ports being announced and newer titles, including a once teased new project from the creator of the Devil Survivor series that could also be announced during the year.
One major change Atlus made in 2021 that will likely continue into the publisher's future is its presence at western events such as The Game Awards and E3. Previously Atlus only appeared at these events to showcase western localizations, generally with trailers that had already been previously released in Japanese. In 2022, Atlus revealed the new remaster of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax at The Game Awards, so it may be fair to expect it to have a bigger presence at shows like E3 and Summer Game Fest in 2022.
