Fans of the popular Persona game series have been eager for more news from Atlas on the status of the next game. However, many were disappointed when the game company only displayed a new Catherine: Full Body Switch trailer at New Game Plus Expo, as fans had attended the online showcase hoping to see an announcement of a new Persona game. Though there was no new information presented at the expo, fans continue to speculate on the next game that will come out of the Persona franchise.
The question remains — what will be the next game that fans will see from the Persona series? There are plenty of directions that Atlus can take as the company's next steps for the franchise. Persona 5 Scramble could be released outside of Japan, but there is no current date set for its localization. Atlus could also create another sequel or spinoff to Persona 5 to build off of the game's clear success, but the company hasn't mentioned anything in the works along these lines.
Many are hoping that the next game to be presented is Persona 6 as Atlus has already announced that it is in development, but the company has been silent on any new news regarding its progress. Like the Fool tarot ability that the Persona protagonists wield, there are many future possibilities. However, there will only be one right answer to this question in the end, but it helps to puzzle through the viability of these different theories.
Persona 5 Scramble
The hack and slash Persona game has really hit it off in Asia, ranking top five in Taiwan and South Korea for both the Nintendo Switch and PS4. However, the game was only localized in these countries on June 18 of this year. Atlus hasn't said anything about releasing the game to western countries, but Persona 5 Scramble was included on a poll the company put out to its western audience to gauge what games fans wanted localized in this region. This gives players hope that Persona 5 Scramble will one day be coming over here, but that date is unknown at this time.
The timeline for the game release can give insight into a potential timeline for a localization of Persona 5 Scramble. The game was originally announced as Persona Warriors in September 2016, but Atlus first advertised the game as Persona 5 S in December 2018. The details of the game were fully revealed in April 2019, and on February 20, 2020, fans of the franchise in Japan could play the game for themselves. On June 18, localizations were released in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea after being announced in around November 2019. However, Atlus' record for western Persona localizations show that the company usually gives fans a head's up months before the localization is available to fans to play.
The localization of the game in Southeast Asia took place about four months after the game's initial release, but fans can't be sure when the process first started or even when Atlus decided that it would cater to those specific regions. With the previous two Persona 5 games brought to the western world, there was a five month period after the game's release in Japan before the game would be released. If Atlus does release a western localization in the same fashion that it did in Southern Asia, it could possibly come out in the next few months. However, it seems unlikely as Atlus seems to still be considering whether or not it would do this in March, which means the schedule would be pushed back considerably if the company did not prepare for this from the outset.
Persona 5 Spinoff, Sequel, or Port
With the success that Persona 5 has brought to the franchise, it would be no surprise to fans if Atlus decided to get more out of this cash cow before moving on to the next numerical game in the series. Atlus first announced Persona 5 Royal in December 2018 with the full reveal following in April 2019. The game released in Japan on October 31, 2019 and became available to the rest of the world on March 31, 2020, exactly five months later. While it appears that Atlus did a quick turnaround with the game, it's likely that the company had planned ahead of time. Fans can't say for sure how long the game had been in production, but one thing they can say for certain is that its release follows a pattern of the Persona series.
The third, fourth, and fifth sets of Persona games have similar arrangements. All three start out with the main games, which are then followed by a sequel that follows the same story with slightly modified and additional content, like Persona 3 FES, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal. Persona 4 and Persona 5 have also added fighting games (Persona 4 Arena/Arena Ultimax and Persona 5 Scramble), as well as including them in Persona Q crossovers. Looking these patterns, Persona 5 might have another fighting sequel after Persona 5 Scramble, but seeing as the first game hasn't announced its localization, it's doubtful that a sequel or spinoff would be available in the west sooner than Persona 5 Scramble.
Also, while it's not a game, Atlus may try to make a Persona 5 Royal animation series like the Persona 4 Golden series. However, with the way the Persona 5 anime series ended, the company should make sure that one is finished properly and explore the full story of the first game before going into a new spinoff show.
Persona 6
The next numerical entry in the Persona series is something that fans are itching to get their hands on, but when will it happen? Persona 6 is confirmed to be in production, but not much more is known about the game. Many speculated that the game could be released as early as 2021, but those predictions were also made before coronavirus affected game production of companies like Atlus. Since the game was not mentioned at the New Game Plus Expo or teased in any substantive way, it's safe to assume that the game still has a long way to go before it will be ready for fans.
Where Does That Leave Fans?
With all these perspectives on the table, which is the most likely to be the next one available for the world? With all these cards on the table, the prediction that makes the most sense would be a Persona 5 Scramble localization to the west. However, Atlus may be working on something else behind the scenes, and until the company announces the next western game for sure, fans may never see it coming.
Persona 6 is in development.