Personafans are holding their breath and waiting for Atlus to say something aboutPersona 6. It only seems natural that Atlus somehow acknowledges the next installment in the franchise this year, since 2021 isPersona’s big 25th anniversary. Not everyone is sure thatPersona 6is destined to release in 2021, since Atlus is still pretty newly finished with some big projects, includingPersona 5 Royal,Persona 5 Strikers,and thePersona 4 Goldenremake for PC. Even if the game isn’t ready, though, now seems like the perfect time to talk about it. Atlus promised big news forPersona’s 25th birthday, and it’s hard to imagine bigger possible news than a new installment in the franchise.
However, many veterans of the series are optimistic that a new game won’t be the only way Atlus celebrates 2021. Many are hopeful that this will be the year that they geta remake or remaster ofPersona 3. Considering how much work Atlus has been putting into thePersonaseries lately, it seems likelier by the day that it has plans to revisitPersona 3. 2021 would be a fantastic time for Atlus to come forward with content related to bothPersona 3andPersona 6.Atlus can get the most out of this year’s anniversary by celebratingPersona’s past as well as its future.
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Celebrating Persona 3
Persona 3is an extremely important entry in the franchise. Before this game,Personawas a lot more like its parent games,theShin Megami Tenseiseries. The firstPersonagames heavily featured supernatural entities infiltrating the human world, forcing Persona-using high schoolers to use newfound powers to fight back. InPersona 3,a clearer line was drawn between the world of Personas and humanity’s world. It set the tradition of the gameplay largely being divided into two parts: expeditions into the supernatural world involving combat with Shadows, and social simulation elements where the protagonist would do everyday activities to bond with friends and strengthen their Personas.
There’s lots of reasons that Atlus should makePersona 3available again, aside from it being a good way to celebratePersona’s growth as a part of the anniversary.Personais more popular than ever, thanks tothe international success ofPersona 5bringing many new fans into the franchise.Persona 3is nearly fifteen years old, so many new fans probably never got the chance to play it in its heyday. These new fans would be glad to give it a try. Additionally,Personaveterans who playedPersona 3back in the day might not be able to play it anymore if their PS2s and PS Portables have given up the ghost. Atlus would do well to capitalize on that nostalgia.
The biggest thing that’s giving fans hope forPersona 3’s return isPersona 4 Golden’s remake. Nobody expected Atlus to suddenly put aPersonagame on Steam after making these games for the PlayStation for years, nor did it give any prior indication that it was working onPersona 4 Goldenagain. Atlus keeps so quiet on projects like these that it’s more than believable that it could be planning aPersona 3resurgence in secret. 2021 would be a particularly good year givePersona 3a fresh coat of paint.
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Empowering Persona 6
If Atlus is in fact working onPersona 3,then it can’t neglectPersona 6.Although it would seem risky to release these two games at about the same time, they could actually play off of one another quite well. Announcing aPersona 3remakemight givePersona 6more momentum, possibly reclaiming the attention of any formerPersonafans who haven’t touched the series in a while. It’d also be a valuable experience for newPersonafans who want to experience previous games before moving on to new entries. If thePersona 3remake were to come out several months beforePersona 6, it’d give fans plenty of time to relive the previous game before investing in the new title, preventing Atlus' game sales from competing with each other.
Persona 6is a total mystery – fans aren’t even totally sure that Atlus is working on it already. While it seems likely, nothing is certain for now. However, many fans are wondering ifPersona 6will be very different from previous entries.Persona 5’s changes to the Social Link systemand its surprising spinoffPersona 5 Strikershave made fans wonder if Atlus is experimenting with new mechanics and major changes to the franchise ahead of a new game. Everything Atlus has done withPersona 5could be leading up to the new game.
It cannot be stressed enough how big a deal a 2021 release forPersona 6would be. A bold, ambitious entry in the franchise would be the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of success.Persona 5ended up being Atlus' way ofmarkingPersona’s 25th anniversary. It wouldn’t be surprising if Atlus was already planningPersona 6whenPersona 5released, then turned around and put some resources towardPersona 5after its surge of success. In that case, it’s had five years to work onPersona 6,meaning there’s got to be something to show this year that’ll help mark the occasion.
The Big Double Feature
There’s a crucial pair of Atlus projects that might givePersonafans some hope of seeing bothPersona 3andPersona 6news this year. Last year, Atlus surprised fans by announcing both a remake ofShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneand giving a major update on the brand newShin Megami Tensei 5. In other words, Atlus is managing to juggle a major remake ofPersona’s parent franchise as well as a brand new entry. If Atlus can manage doing both at once forShin Megami Tensei– and sees the worth in doing so – then it can surely see the worth of working onPersona 3and6at the same time.
Atlus promised fans that there would be bigPersonanews in 2021. A few months have passed, and it has yet to follow up on these promises. It could be that Atlus is waiting until July to address a hypotheticalPersona 3remake, since mid-July is exactly whenPersona 3will celebrate its 15th birthday. It could be that Atlus will use that same announcement to discussPersona 6and the future ofPersonain general.Personafans may be getting impatient for news, but the potential of summer announcements is definitely there. At leastPersonafans haveP5 Strikersto enjoy for now, as the plausible kickoff of a really major year for this storied franchise.
Persona 6is rumored to be in development.
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