It's just a matter of time before fans get a glimpse of Persona 6, the next major installment in the Persona series. Its existence hasn't even been officially confirmed, but there's no way Atlus is stopping after the massive success of Persona 5. There's no telling how long the wait will be, but it's hard to imagine Persona 6 not existing at all.
Persona 6 is a bit like GTA 6 in that regard; maybe it exists, maybe it doesn't, but fans automatically assume that it's coming. A fair assumption in both cases, but Persona 5 is widely considered one of the best RPGs of all time, not to mention JRPG. If Persona 6 continues to build on that strong foundation, it could become a genre-defining title. But for that reason and several others, it's important that Atlus lets Persona 5 have its time in the spotlight and doesn't rush into Persona 6 before it's time.
Explaining the Popularity of Persona 5
The JRPG series has been around for a while, and Persona will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in September. While it's always been successful, however, Persona 5 brought an entirely new group of fans into the franchise and continues to grow in popularity. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case.
Anyone who's spent any amount of time with Persona 5 knows that the soundtrack and the distinct art style are incredible and stand apart from any other game out there. Persona 5 is also widely known for the level of polish in the gameplay and for the way it seamlessly blends anime, manga, and video game elements together into one satisfying package. Combine that with the interesting concepts associated with the Persona series and a great cast of characters, and you've got a massive success.
Some have pointed out that Persona 5 was released at exactly the right time to maximize its success and increase exposure. The game came out in 2016 and brought in new players by being featured in Let's Play videos and streams. The messages and difficult issues explored in the game were also incredibly timely and directly correlated to major current events. Part of Persona 5's success can be attributed to what an amazing RPG it is, but a good amount can also be attributed to being in the right place at the right time.
Introducing Persona 6 Now Might Take Away From Persona 5
When it comes to announcing and releasing sequels, there's a certain balance that developers need to strike. It's helpful to announce a sequel before the game loses too much momentum, but it's also important to give successful games their chance to shine before starting something new. When it comes to Persona 6, that's a balance Atlus is surely thinking about.
Atlus hasn't been shy about capitalizing on Persona 5's success, either, which has only increased its reach. Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced edition of the original, released in 2016 and was followed by the sequel, Persona 5 Strikers, in 2020. There are some smaller installments in the series such as Dancing in Starlight, a rhythmic game, and an upcoming mobile game called Code Name: X is reportedly based on the Persona 5 universe. Not to mention, there are rumors of an upcoming fighting game based on Persona 5 and talk of Royal coming to Xbox, which would only continue to bring in new fans.
Right now, Persona 5 still has a lot of momentum and is continuing to bring in a lot of new fans. With the addition of Persona 5 to the PS Plus Collection, gamers who might have never thought about the game before now have the opportunity to pick it up. And with a Persona 5 fighting game and a mobile game potentially on the way, introducing Persona 6 now would take away from those new titles.
There's still so much to explore within Persona 5's universe, and Atlus should explore those various opportunities before moving on to the next project. Hopefully, the announcement of Persona 6 will come in the next year or so, but while Persona 5 is still enjoying so much success and potentially adding new content, Atlus shouldn't rush into it.
Persona 6 Deserves the Same World-Building Persona 5 Received
The developer has also spent a lot of time crafting a big and fully-fleshed-out universe, which takes a lot of time and talent. Persona 5 was expertly crafted, and fans will expect even more from Persona 6. Rushing to release something in order to meet popular demand would be a mistake if it came at the cost of quality, so if Atlus isn't quite ready to release its plans for Persona 6 that's perfectly fine.
The Persona series usually gives each major installment a complete subseries, so fans can expect that when Persona 6 does release, it will get the same amount of attention from the developer that Persona 5 has. When it's Persona 6's time to shine, there will be no shortage of content. But for now, it's important to enjoy the incredible and massive universe that Persona 5 has to offer before rushing into the next thing.
Letting developers take time to fully realize their visions almost always pays off, and rushing things almost never does. Even though fans who have exhausted everything in the Persona 5 universe are ready to see what's coming next, Atlus should take the time it needs to create the perfect game world, story, and characters. It will want to top Persona 5, which is a tall order all on its own.
Persona 6 Has A Huge Amount of Potential
Persona 6 also has the opportunity to be a genre-defining JRPG. If it manages to improve upon Persona 5's success, the possibilities are truly limitless. Persona 6 could be the Skyrim of the JRPG genre, but in order to reach those heights, it needs to be done with a level of polish and style that exceeds even Persona 5. Again, that's something that takes a lot of time, especially when one considers how well Persona 5 did in those areas.
At this point, Persona 6 will exclusively be part of the next generation of gaming, and that comes with additional challenges and expectations. Persona 6 will want to take full advantage of what the PS5 (and possibly the Xbox Series X) has to offer. Persona 6 could be the ultimate next-gen JRPG, and it should take all the time it needs to max out its full potential.
Persona 5 is available now on PS3 and PS4.