Personais doing really well for itself. There’san unbelievable amount ofPersonacontenton the market right now, all thanks to the explosion in popularity that the franchise has seen in the last few years. Ever sincePersona 3,there’s been international attention on these games, but it wasPersona 5that really kicked off a craze and vastly multipliedPersona’s fanbase. Atlus deserves to celebrate what it’s achieved with this JRPG franchise—and this year, it will.Personaturns 25 next September, and Atlus has already teased big plans for the year. Although those plans are a mystery, fans already know they can look forward toPersona 5 Strikers.
Persona 5 Strikershas been out in Japan for a long time now, leaving many Western fans tantalized, but its international release is only a few weeks away. Traditionally, getting these games localized can be difficult, but here, it only makes 2021 a bigger year. As a result, many Fans are eagerly speculating what the teasedPersonaanniversary announcements could be, and ultimately, it’s pretty hard to say.Persona 5 Strikersplays a central role in the year, but it’s also part of the mystery.
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Persona’s First Birthday Present
Persona 5 Strikersis something special, as far as the franchise goes. Although the series isn’t afraid of spinoffs in other genres, withPersona 5: Dancing in StarlightandPersona’s other rhythm-based dance games being core examples,Strikersdoes a lot of unconventional things. It’s influenced byDynasty Warriorsand involves more hack-and-slash gameplay than the standard turn-based RPG fare of the core series. Still, those who have had the chance topreviewPersona 5 Strikersspeak warmly of the gameplay, considering it a strong blend ofDynasty Warriors' nonstop action andPersona’s traditions.
Perhaps the biggestquestion thatPersona 5 Strikersposesfor this year’s announcements is what it means forPersona 5as a potential sub-franchise. ThePersona 5developer ha said before that this game is functionally a sequel toPersona 5.Its plot does seem to directly follow up on the events of the first game, bringing the Phantom Thieves back together for another adventure. However, some fans want more Phantom Thief content thanStrikersalone can provide. It’s certainly possible that Atlus decides to make anotherPersona 5sequel, but it might not want to walk that path again.Personaloves its standalone stories, and so it would be a huge break in convention to focus solely on these characters.
On the other hand, breaks inPersonaconvention don’t actually seem that impossible anymore lately.Persona 5 Strikerswas a very surprising concept for a spinoff even if fans are looking forward to it. Atlus looks like it’s trying new things withPersona,and it might feel inclined to break convention again if it likes the Phantom Thieves as much as fans do.Persona 5took eight years to develop, but a sequel in the franchise’s usual style would have a lot of content to work with. It could come a lot sooner than the first game did.
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Endless Possibilities
Even withall thatPersona 5 Strikersstands for, it wouldn’t be fair toPersonato limit speculation just to what could be in store forPersona 5this year. The surprising style and release platforms ofPersona 5 Strikersdo represent a larger movement in the franchise, though. Fans really do have to be on their toes and increasingly prepared for surprises. For example,Persona 4 Goldenwas famously shadow dropped on Steam last year, to the delight of a great manyPersonaveterans. Revisiting the previous game is a great way for newPersonafans to get to know the series and bond with nostalgic die-hard fans.
Such a bold move as a shadow drop is generally out of character for the slow and cautious Atlus. It never seems to take it on faith that Western fans are interested in side games or speedy releases, and that’s why suddenlyportingPersona 4to PCand releasing it immediately makes Atlus hard to predict this year. For instance, while it could go for obvious choices like a covetedPersona 5PC release or aPersona 3remake, it could also take a gamble on remaking the first twoPersonagames. They’re very different from the modern games, but they’re hugely influential and still have their fans.
Above all, there’s the shadow of a possiblePersona 6.If it’s in development, Atlus has done a good job making sure fans don’t see hide nor hair of it. The future of the franchise is carefully under wraps. However, it’s pretty unfeasible that Atlus doesn’t have any idea where it wants to go from here.Persona 6could easily have been in planning stages shortly afterPersona 5’s release. The question becomes how much the game’s surge in popularity will affectPersona 6.Atlus certainly didn’t see thePersona 5hype train coming.IfPersona 6has already hada few years in development, then there’s still a chance it comes out in 2021. At the very least, it’s bound to be announced.
The Scale of Celebration
Another good question ishow big Atlus wants the 25th anniversaryto be. Since it has so many options available to it, it could try for as many of them as it can muster. AfterPersona 5 Strikersgets it international release,Persona 6could get revealed with aPersona 3remaster as a cherry on top. Atlus has the experience and resources to push itself in this way. Although it’d certainly be a lot of work leading up to the anniversary, the fanbase is passionate enough that such a tightly packed year would surely be a success.
It can’t be denied that Atlus has kept itself busy recently. SincePersona 5’s release, it worked onPersona 5 Royal, Persona 5 Strikers,andthePersona 4 Goldenremaster. Fans can’t help wondering how many more projects in the franchise it could have fit in over the last couple years. If Atlus settles for one really big announcement afterStrikers,it’ll be understandable, and it’ll probably still make 2021 memorable as an important year forPersona.At this point, anything seems possible. While it’s exciting to wait and think about the many possibilities, it’ll be even more exciting to have something concrete to look forward to.
Persona 5 Strikersreleases on July 25, 2025 for PC, PS4, and Switch.
