The Persona series’ 25th anniversary celebrations haven’t been as robust as fans were anticipating, leading to concerns regarding how the franchise will move forward. What was once one of the many spinoff series within the Shin Megami Tensei franchise has now overtaken the mainline games themselves in terms of sales and worldwide popularity. In September 2022, Persona will celebrate 25 years of games that led to their own spinoffs, anime series, movies, and more.
Atlus has delivered news regarding Persona themed merchandise throughout the 25th anniversary year. The only game announcement thus far, however, has been a re-release of the fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. While Persona’s various spinoffs have their own dedicated fans, they're a more niche interest at best, and it’s safe to say most fans are more interested in the main series, making the lack of announcements regarding mainline games confusing at best and concerning at worst.
Strange crossovers and events like Honey & Butter offering Persona character-themed macarons (in addition to teaching how to pipe them) and Requiem Café offering a Persona 25th Anniversary event with a themed menu and "photo opportunity in the Velvet Room." There are a lot of different ways Atlus could approach the anniversary, and it seems to have gone for some strange ones. In Japan, it's even possible (inexplicably) to buy Persona-themed toothpaste. It all feels like a far cry from what fans have been asking for: additional ports of newer games like Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, and remakes of older games like the original Persona, the Persona 2 duology, and a comprehensive Persona 3. Others are still hoping that Persona 6 gets announced, especially since Persona 5 is already five years old. But with only four months left of the Persona series’ anniversary year, it’s entirely uncertain what kinds of announcements could be made, and when.
The Persona 25th Anniversary Announcements Should Focus More On Mainline Games
Announcing a port or remake at the same time as Persona 6 isn’t entirely out of the question, since the July 2020 Nintendo Direct mini did something similar. The HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne was announced, followed by the first concrete details of Shin Megami Tensei V. The difference, however, is that Shin Megami Tensei V had already been officially announced beforehand, and fans were just waiting on specific information by that point. There’s a chance for Persona game announcements to be spread out between now and September, but considering the popularity of the franchise, it feels like Atlus could have made some announcements already to indicate further focus on the mainline Persona games both new and old. It's especially vexing given the announcement of SMT game Soul Hackers 2 in Feburary.
The anniversary merchandise and key art has put a heavy emphasis on all seven of the series’ protagonists, even the female protagonist exclusive to Persona 3 Portable, which may hint at such a shift. Newer fans of the series who don’t have a readily accessible way to play the older games would benefit from re-releases, if not full-blown remakes, of the classic games, and the 25th anniversary year seems like a great opportunity to fill that opening. In addition, even if a Persona 6 isn’t anywhere near ready for release just yet, some sort of confirmation that it’s in the works would go a long way toward easing the minds of fans, and would be an announcement befitting the anniversary. Hopefully there will be more mainline Persona announcements during the 25th Anniversary celebrations from now until fall, rather than spinoff announcements, bizarre crossover product marketing, and weird events. Atlus is participating in Summer Game Fest, which could mean major announcements, but even accessible versions of older Persona titles could tide fans over until Persona 6.
Source: Honey & Butter, Requiem Café