There are plenty of long-running successful video game franchises out there though only a few of them have achieved unprecedented popularity across the globe as Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto. Atlus' Persona seems to have gained quite the popularity in the west with Persona 5, and the company is looking to expand this even further with Persona 6. Interestingly, both Persona 6 and Grand Theft Auto 6 seem to be in a similar position right now. Information on both these supposed titles is paper-thin at the moment, the mystery of which makes them all the more exciting for fans of both.
Both Persona and Grand Theft Auto are completely different franchises that cater to different audiences. However, there are plenty of similarities between the two franchises, one of which involves waiting for their highly anticipated next-gen sequels. While it's quite likely that respective fans won't be getting their hands on the next mainline entries of these franchises anytime soon, it's undeniable that their inevitable releases would yield similar gratification among fans.
Persona and Grand Theft Auto Travel a Similar Road
Even though both Persona and Grand Theft Auto games belong to different genres, play different, and are directed to different sets of audiences, they still have a lot in common. For instance, both have nearly 25 years of history to boast, which as a result has yielded a humungous, ever-growing number of fans of different age groups.
Both Persona and Grand Theft Auto games are deeply rooted in the cultures of the nations they take place in. Every Persona game features a diverse set of characters that authentically represent Japanese culture. Persona 5 diligently reflects some of the social injustices that plagued modern Japanese society, heightened by the aftermath of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. This includes bullying, cybercrime, plagiarism, and sexual misconduct, to name a few.
Persona 5, or Persona games in general, tackle such relevant issues by thrusting players amidst a wide array of characters, each of which looks at the world through a different lens. Aside from focusing on such consequential subjects, Persona games are also home to major anime tropes, which makes them all the more appealing to the international audience.
Similarly, Grand Theft Auto games are a satirical representation of modern American society. Grand Theft Auto 4 did a remarkable job of depicting the various challenges of living as an emigrant in the fictional version of New York City. Grand Theft Auto 5 reflected the horrendously superficial lifestyle of the inhabitants of the fictional version of Los Angeles.
Whether it's the more serious tackling of these real-life struggles in Persona games, or the satirical take in the Grand Theft Auto games, each entry in these two franchises feels progressive thanks to the painstakingly long gaps between the subsequent releases. This makes every new Persona and Grand Theft Auto game all the more exciting and somewhat leaves them in a similar situation.
The Success of Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5
The last mainline entry in each series, Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5, don't just share the numeral next to their prestigious titles. They are the accumulation of the series' years-long history. Every Persona and Grand Theft Auto game has been a critical and commercial success, but Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5 took it to an entirely different level.
Persona 5 took the resounding success of Persona games to a global audience, with the title garnishing unprecedented popularity outside of its native country. Persona 5 not just became the fastest-selling Persona game in the series, but it also had the best debut of a Persona game outside Japan. This number was significantly boosted when Atlus released the superior version of Persona 5, named Persona 5 Royal, in 2019.
Although Grand Theft Auto games have always been hugely popular across the globe, Grand Theft Auto 5 elevated that to an entirely different level. GTA 5 was released at a time when open-world games needed to be revitalized in a major way, which made it an incredible feat of its own. Since then, GTA 5's shadow continues to loom over every major AAA open-world game release. As of now, Grand Theft Auto 5 has become the second best-selling video game of all time, not to mention one of the highest-rated ones as well.
The soaring popularity of Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5 over the years has made them modern classics, whose copies should arguably be in every gamer's collection. Rockstar Games are well aware of the unprecedented popularity of Grand Theft Auto 5 and has responded by making the game available across three generations of consoles. Furthermore, consistent free updates on its ever-expanding Grand Theft Auto Online mean that there is always more Grand Theft Auto content available for hardcore fans.
Persona 5 isn't as popular nor accessible as Grand Theft Auto 5, but it strives to be exactly that for RPG fans. Aside from getting a re-release in the form of Persona 5 Royal, the game has gotten an action RPG pseudo-sequel spin-off called Persona 5 Strikers, and a rhythm spin-off game called Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. All of this, including the base Persona 5 being available across three generations of PlayStation consoles, means that fans have enough on their plate until Persona 6 arrives.
The Long Road Ahead to Persona 6
Persona 6 is Atlus' Grand Theft Auto 6, and just like Rockstar Games is taking its time with the latter, Atlus is taking its time with the prior. While it's quite likely that both of these next-gen entries are deep in development, they are not likely to be released anytime soon. This is primarily because both Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5 haven't aged as much as many people would like to believe.
Even though both games came out years ago, there are a vast majority of people that are still discovering, playing, and replaying these games. The release of Persona 5 Royal and the addition of the base game to the PlayStation Plus Collection has breathed new life into Persona 5. Furthermore, there are rumors of Persona 5 coming to Xbox consoles. Likewise, Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to sell incredibly well even to this date. The upcoming PS5 version of GTA 5 will likely boost that number even more. With Persona 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5 being consistently profitable to each's respective publishers, there is no immediate pressure to rush subsequent entries.
At this point, Persona 5 is one of the best JRPGs out there, whereas GTA 5 is one of the best open-world experiences available. For Persona 6 to exceed fans' expectations, it is no doubt that Atlus would take the GTA 6 route and take its time to craft what could be a defining next-gen JRPG.
Persona 6 is rumored to be in development.