Last week,PersonadeveloperAtlusannounced that it was preparing to reveal 7 new projects related to the franchise starting this September, likely to debut at Tokyo Game Show. Despite this, the developer is still hard at work at many non-Personarelated projects, which it has re-emphasized in an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. In the interview,Atlusrevealed that it currently has 10 projects in development, including a new game from long-time collaborator Vanillaware, the developer behind last year’s13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
Atlus has seen major growth in popularity as a publisher and developer since the western release ofPersona 5in April 2017, which achieved mainstream success, taking the series from niche to one of the most beloved JRPGs of the last console generation. Since then, Atlus has branched out, bringing its titles such asPersona 4 GoldenandShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remasterto PC, and releasing Vanillaware’s13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimin 2020, all while developingShin Megami Tensei 5, the newest entry in its longest-running RPG series coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch this November. All of this is to say that the publisher has been very busy.
RELATED:New Shin Megami Tensei 5 Story Trailer Explores the Factions, and New Gameplay
And this is reportedly only the beginning, as in an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has revealed thatAtlus has overall around 10 projects in development, with some coming from collaborative developers such as Vanillaware. According to Atlus' production manager Naoto Hiraoka, 5 to 6 of the studio’s upcoming projects are in development internally, coming from teams within Atlus, as opposed to the remaining 4 to 5 that are in development from external studios such as Vanillaware, the studio behindOdin’s Sphereand13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimthat Atlus has published multiple titles for. This also alludes to some other other collaborations from other developers.
There’s a lot to infer from this statement, especially given the announcement of7 upcomingPersona-related projects. Titles that Atlus has already confirmed are in development includeShin Megami Tensei 5(which will release later this year,)Persona 6, andProject Re Fantasy, an upcoming action-RPG from the original staff behindPersona 5. Given that Vanillaware has also revealed a teaser for its next project in the demo for13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimin early 2019, it’s safe to assume that it’s already well into development on its next game. That leaves 5 or 6 projects left unannounced from the publisher and its collaborators. Onerumored project is a remaster ofPersona 4 Arena Ultimax, which would come fromGuilty Geardeveloper Arc System Works.
Many of the projects alluded to could be remasters of Atlus' older titles, given that the studio has shown interest in returning to previous titles through releases such asCatherine: Full BodyandShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster. It is also possible that spin-off series' such asTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE,Shin Megami Tensei: Devil SurvivorandPersona Qcould also receive sequels, given that they would not require the long-term development timelines of games likePersona 6andProject Re Fantasy.
MORE:Shin Megami Tensei 5 Is A Subtle Step Forward for Atlus
