Persona 5has had such a huge impact on thePersonafranchise that it only seems natural that Atlus gets the most out ofPersona 5and its characters while it can. So far, Atlus' efforts to capitalize onPersona 5’s popularity have gone well. The expanded editionPersona 5 Royaland the spinoffPersona 5 Strikersare also big hits, and the Phantom Thieves have achieved all kinds of far-reaching appearances in other games likeSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.In spite of all the Phantom Thieves have achieved, though, fans are still hopeful that Atlus might have more in store for these characters. A mysterious pair of domain names labeled P5AG and P5U could suggest that Atlus actually does have more plans.
Historically, Atlus registered Japanese domain names forPersonagames well in advance of their releases. There’s sites registered forPersona 5as well asPersona 5 Royaland its other spinoffs. However, a pair of domains called P5AG.JP and P5U.JP have so far gone unused since they were claimed in April 2017. These domain names getting registered would suggest morePersona 5spinoffs, but what exactly could Atlus be planning? Why haven’t fans heard about these games yet? Although Atlus hasn’t confirmed or denied any potential use for these sites, there’s a couple very enticing and perhaps even likely possibilities.Warning:Persona 5andPersona 5 Royalspoilers ahead!
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P5U and the Persona 5 Fighting Game
P5U is definitely an odd one. It’s hard to imagine at a glance what Atlus could be planning to do with that name. However,Personaveterans probably remember one major spinoff that thePersonaseries got before:Persona 4 Arena,a fighting game that brought together characters from bothPersona 4andPersona 3.A while after the original game came out, Atlus released an upgraded version calledPersona 5 Arena Ultimax.If that’s anything to go off of, P5U could be meant to stand forPersona 5 Arena Ultimax– in other words, it could hint ataPersona 5fighting game.
APersona 5fighting game would undoubtedly be a big hit with hardcore fans. The fanbase is craving more content starring the Phantom Thieves, and Atlus seems increasingly inclined to deliver. Even if it’s a short and fairly simple game,if it’s anything likePersona 4 Arena,thenPersona 5 Arenawould be a great way to introduce the Phantom Thieves to yet another game style aside from dancing and action RPG.Persona 5 Strikershas thoroughly proven so far that thePersona 5cast doesn’t mind being ported to real-time action, so a fighting game doesn’t even seem like much of a stretch.
2021 would be a great year for Atlus to come forward with aPersona 5fighting game too. Atlus promised last year that 2021 –the 25th anniversary of thePersonafranchise– would be celebrated thoroughly. So far there hasn’t been much newPersonacontent released, but ifPersona 5 Arena Ultimaxgot released sometime this year, it’d go a long way in restoring excitement in thePersonafanbase. The renewal of the P5U.JP domain might indicate thatPersona 5 Arena Ultimaxis not only still in the works but coming out soon.
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P5AG and Potential Persona 5 Surprises
While there’s one strong potential answer for what P5U could mean, P5AG is a little weirder. SomePersona 5fans already have a theory about what it means, though, and it’d be huge if true. Some believe that P5AG could be referring toAkechi Goro,Persona 5’s Detective Prince. Although this anti-hero and rival to Joker supposedly dies inPersona5, the expandedPersona 5 Royalintentionally makes it seem much more likely that Akechi is actually alive. If Akechi did manage to survive his fateful battle in Shido’s Palace, then maybe Atlus wants to make aPersona 5spinoff starring Akechi. It’d certainly be chilling but compelling to play a game based on Akechi’s perspective ofPersona 5’s events, or perhaps to explore new adventures in the Metaverse that he has after escaping from the Phantom Thieves and going into hiding. Akechi comes with a ton of great storytelling opportunities.
Unfortunately, if P5AG really does imply a game about Akechi or even some other spinoff, its fate is uncertain right now. Although the P5U domain got renewed recently, P5AG didn’t, and it’s set to expire soon. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the game is cancelled – maybe Atlus has developed a more specific title for the mysterious P5AG and wants to aim for a different domain, or it’ll simply reuse some other domain. However, it has to be acknowledged that it could also mean Atlus thingssome otherPersona5projectlike the hypotheticalPersona 5fighting game is more important. Although that would be a practical step for Atlus to take, it might result in widespread disappointment amongPersona 5fans if they find out Atlus cancelled an interesting project. Hopefully fans at least get some clues someday about what exactly P5AG was or could’ve become.
Keeping Persona Hype Alive
Whatever they may be, these domains surely mean something for the future ofPersona. They’re too similar to the domain names ofthings likePersona 5 Strikersto just be coincidentally named. It’s worth noting that these are only a few of a list of domain names that Atlus has been sitting on for a long time. Oddly enough, there are genericPersonadomain names numbered 8 through 10, which are probably codenames rather than indicative of real names, considering how far awayPersonais fromPersona 8,let alonePersona 10.Since these domains are so nebulous, the more specific domain names of P5U and P5AG are more compelling and perhaps indicative of projects closer to release.
P5AG’s fate is unknown for now, but it seems there’s hope for P5U. Summer is coming up, and it’s always a fantastic time for big game reveals. Maybe Atlus has kept quiet on purpose so that it cansurprise and delightPersonafans with announcementsin the middle of the year. Then the rest of the year, including the lucrative holidays, could be filled withPersonacelebrations and the contentPersonafans have been craving all this time. The renewal of the P5U domain name certainly puts a new interesting twist on Atlus' silence on its major RPG franchise. Hopefully P5U really is indicative of morePersona 5spinoffs, and that the wait for a reveal is almost over
Persona 5is available now for PS3 and PS4.
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