The longevity of Atlus' RPG franchises is a prime sign of their quality. For 25 years now, thePersonafranchise has stood on its own two feet as an impressive, creative spinoff of theShin Megami Tenseiseries, using many ofSMT’s core ideas in entirely different ways. With that reputation in mind, it’s no surprise thatPersonafans were looking forward to 2021 and 2022’s anniversary celebration for the franchise. Overall, though, the anniversary has been pretty quiet. While there have been a few notable pieces of content released for the anniversary, Atlus' plans have been far more modest than plans hoped.
While it’s something of a letdown that thePersonaanniversary has been so quiet so far, there’s still quite a few months left to go, meaning it’s still possible that Atlus is working up toward something big.A pattern ofPersonaanniversary contentcould suggest that Atlus is trying to build momentum, and it would generally be a good idea to end the event with a bang. Atlus may not have confirmed anything, but there are plenty of potentialPersonaprojects that it could be quietly working on while aiming for an autumn release. Atlus would certainly be wise to plan something big for the anniversary’s end.
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The Persona Anniversary So Far
When thePersonaanniversary celebration was first announced, Atlus teased a long list of projects for the event, which made fans hopeful that severalPersonagames were on the way. The very first announcement cast down those hopes; Atlus instead emphasizedPersonamerchandise anddiscounts onPersonagames, as well as certain content that would be exclusive to Japan, such as a concert withPersonamusic. For a few months, these categories of content dominated the anniversary, which disappointed fans hoping for newPersonacontent or ports of old content.
However, Atlus' plans have changed slightly thanks toPersona 4 Arena Ultimax.Originally released for home consoles in 2014, this sequel to the originalPersona 4 Arenahas been exclusive to the PS3 and Xbox 360 for many years, but now it’s available on PC, Switch, and PS4. ThePersona 4 Arena Ultimaxport is exactly the kind of content that fans were hoping to see throughout the anniversary event. While Atlus hasn’t pointed towards any similar plans for late 2022 yet,Ultimaxat least inspires some hope that Atlus is building up to bolderPersonaproject for the event’s late months.
In retrospect, it stands to reason that Atlus wouldn’t pressure itself to release sevenPersonagames in a year, but nevertheless, video game anniversaries are generally best acknowledged through games themselves, asSkyward Sword HDandSuper Mario 3D All-Starsof recent years have proven.Persona 4 Arena Ultimaxis a good start, but an entirely new game or a port of a corePersonagame might be a more valuable capstone for the anniversary. Atlus has released a new game in an anniversary year before, notably;Persona 5launched during the franchise’s 20th anniversary. That precedent suggests that either a second port or a new game could be on the table.
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Possible Persona Anniversary Releases
For a little while now, rumors of aPersona 5fighting game have been floating around. It’s entirely possible that Atlus rereleasedUltimaxhalfway through the celebration in order to warm fans up to a new fighting game. At the very least, it proves that Atlus and Arc System Works still have a working relationship, opening the door for another fighting game. There’s definitely plenty of source material for aPersona 5fighting game, especially if it taps intothe new Phantom Thievesintroduced inPersona 5 Strikers.
A port ofPersona 5would also be an excellent way to wrap up the anniversary year. For years now,Persona 5has been exclusive to the PlayStation, in spite ofPersonaspinoffs and ports becoming increasingly common on non-PlayStation consoles. WhetherPersona 5releases on Xbox, Switch, or PC, a port of the smash hitPersonainstallation has a lot of value, since it could help the franchise surge in popularity again.WithPersona 6in development, aPersona 5port could simultaneously encourage previous players to revisit the title on new platforms while bringing in more new fans in the years leading up to a new core game.
There’s no guarantee that Atlus is working on these games or any others for the anniversary. Even thoughPersona 4 Arena Ultimaxinspires some optimism, the overwhelming majority of content released for the anniversary has been modest and disconnected from the games themselves. Atlus may stick to that modest lineup. However, aftergenerating a year ofPersonacontentto mark a major anniversary for the franchise, it would make sense if Atlus wanted to wrap up the event in a big way. A second game release within the anniversary window would be the perfect way to do so.
Waiting For Persona News
It’s been quite some time since Atlus released a majorPersonaanniversary announcement, and the timing for previous showcases hasn’t established a clear pattern just yet. In other words, it’s hard to say when Atlus will reveal the next wave ofPersonacontent, if it reveals its plans in one place at all. It may decide to simplysurprise fans withPersonaannouncementsthroughout the rest of 2022, surprising fans with new releases. If it does plan on releasing anotherPersonaanniversary showcase, though, then hopefully the next one is around the corner.
ThePersonaanniversary definitely hasn’t been quite as compelling as fans would’ve liked so far. Japan-exclusive events have made international fans feel left out, right when Atlus should becelebratingPersona’s expanded fanbase. Merchandise releases also aren’t nearly as exciting as the release of new games would be. Still, there’s time for Atlus to make up for that letdown. ThePersonaanniversary has several months left before it wraps up, meaning Atlus could still have some tricks up its sleeve. For the moment, fans will just have to wait and hold out hope that thePersonafranchise will grow significantly by the end of the year.
