The Persona series has been ongoing since the release of the original Persona in 1996 for the PlayStation 1. It has gone over a lot of changes over the years including the addition of the Social Link mechanic. Because of this, it is clear that they will still be relevant in the upcoming Persona 6 while also being newly iterated upon.
Ever since they were introduced, Social Links or Confidants have become a core part of the Persona series with it also likely being a part of Persona 6 as well. The bonds that players make with their party members affects both the gameplay and the story that players experience.
With changes coming with every new Persona title, the Social Link system will also likely change. However, there are some aspects of the system from other games in the series that do not need to stay when it comes to Persona 6.
Jealousy Mechanic
Social Links were first introduced in Persona 3. With it came some experimental features to it that didn't stick when the series moved on to Persona 4 and Persona 5. One of the biggest parts of the original Social Link feature was in how it was impossible to complete any girl's Social Link without pursuing a romantic relationship with them. This meant that if players wanted to 100% complete every Social Link, they would have to cheat on many different girls.
In addition to this, even if the player isn't pursuing a relationship with a girl, spending time with a female Social Link presents the chance for another female Social Link to witness it, causing both girls to get jealous. This will damage both Social Links at once and cause players to not want to spend their weekends out in case a Social Link randomly gets damaged from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While this was scrapped for Persona 4, it is safe to say that nobody wants to see this come back for Persona 6. It makes the female characters seem unfriendly toward each other as well as only fueled by jealousy.
Romantic Compulsion
Continuing off the previous point is in how players are able to woo over the majority of female Social Links no matter what. For those who aren't going for a "player" route of sorts, this can lead to a lot of awkward rejections for the Social Links. While these won't have any long term consequences in most cases, it will break off the Social Link in Persona 3.
One especially awkward case is in Persona 4 with Yumi Ozawa's Social Link. The majority of the Social Link involved the player helping Yumi overcome her hatred for her dad as he's on his deathbed. This makes Yumi realize that she uses drama as a method of escapism, and she comes to terms with her own true feelings. The end of her Social Link has her confess her love for the player. The only two choices that the player is given is to pursue her romantically by hugging her or silently leave the room. If players reject her, they will never see her again.
Persona 5 also has awkward rejections, but it has the addition of awkward relationships that the players can pursue. Despite the player character being a high school student, there are multiple adult women that the player can end up in romantic relationships with. This is especially concerning with one of the first antagonists of the game being a teacher at the player's school that sexually abuses students. Of course, one of the adults that the player can get in a relationship with is the player's own homeroom teacher, creating a very mixed message.
While dating girls and having a "best girl" is one of the appeals of Persona nowadays, not all of the girls should be jumping at a chance to be involved with the protagonist on a more mature level. This is especially true with adult characters when the player character is underage. When Persona 6 comes around, there should be more platonic relationships that aren't able to become anything else with the female characters, instead of every girl being subjected to some strange sort of objectification.
The Lack of Same-Sex Romance Options
There's no question that the Persona series has gotten very popular with players from all sorts of backgrounds, but the last Persona game to have any same-sex option for a romance route in a Social Link was in Persona 3 Portable and only as the female protagonist. Persona 4 almost had a same-sex romance end for a Social Link with Yosuke Hanamura, but it was cut seemingly last minute. Despite it being cut, it still has translated dialogue into English officially as well as fully voiced lines from Yosuke's English voice actor. Ever since then, however, there hasn't been male same sex relationships between party members at all.
Considering the Persona series' treatment of LGBT characters over multiple games, some may worry about how this would be treated in Persona 6, while many believe that it will never happen. However, just having the option would please a lot of people.
If the option to date male party members as a male protagonist was there, it would satisfy many members of Persona's gay fanbase. Those who don't want to date their male party members can just continue to have a platonic relationship with them like with their female party members if they don't want that relationship. Times are changing, and if players are meant to put themselves into the shoes of the protagonists, they should be able to pursue relationships that don't make them feel like they're in the closet.
Of course, not all the characters would likely be able to be pursued romantically, but having a few options would be nice. It could even lead to a scene where a party member comes out to the group and is given love and assurance by the friend group. For the Social Links to move forward, there needs to be a emphasis on the "social" aspect and a wide acceptance of the "love" aspect.
Persona 6Â is rumored to be in development.