The chief director of the Persona series has revealed that big news regarding the future of the series is due to be announced during its 25th-anniversary celebrations in 2021. The first game in the Persona series (Revelations: Persona) was released on the original PlayStation in '96, but it took a long time for the series to find mainstream success.
Revelations: Persona received an English localization in '96, but it was released in a butchered form, due to censorship and a major section of the game being cut. This version of the game can be experienced on the PlayStation Classic. There were two games in the Persona 2 duology, but only one was released in the West. The series didn't start to attract an audience until Persona 3 on the PS2, which introduced the social/schedule elements that helped differentiate it from other JRPGs on the market. The Persona franchise finally reached mainstream status in 2017, following the release of the critically acclaimed Persona 5.
2020 saw the release of Persona 5 Royal, which was an updated version of Persona 5 that was filled with new content and QoL improvements. Chief Director and Creative Producer of the Persona team Kazuhisa Wada recently recorded a video for the PlayStation Awards 2020 Japan Asia show, as Persona 5 Royal had won the "Partner Award". According to Persona Central, Wada revealed that there are a lot of things in store for the 25th anniversary of the Persona series, which is due to take place in 2021. A video of Wada's speech can be seen on the Persona Central YouTube channel.
The fans are eagerly awaiting an announcement for Persona 6, which has yet to be revealed by Atlus. The fact that the updated version of Persona 5 has released (in the form of Persona 5: The Royal) means that Persona 6 is next in line for release. There is also hope that more Shin Megami Tensei games are coming to PC. Persona 4 Golden was breaking records on Steam when it was released this year, so this will hopefully spur Sega/Atlus into releasing more PC ports in the future. There are a lot of classic Persona/Shin Megami Tensei games that are locked to older consoles, and they're in dire need of a remaster. We might also finally receive an international release date for the upcoming Persona 5 Scramble.
The Persona series has come a long way since the days of the original PlayStation. It's hard to fathom that such bizarre JRPGs would steal the hearts of gamers around the world, but it's that same uniqueness that helps the Persona games stand out from the crowd. 2020 was a huge year for the Persona series, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for the franchise.
Sources: Persona Central, YouTube