It’s been seven years since the release of Persona 5. But in traditional Atlus fashion, the wait for the next installment has seen an updated re-release and a handful of spinoffs. Despite all the Persona experiences on offer, fans eagerly await the next big game. But according to a new leak on ResetEra, there may still be a bit of a wait ahead.
The update on Persona 6 comes from ResetEra user Im a Hero Too, who has previously leaked information about P6, Persona 3 Remake, and a handful of other Atlus titles. Im a Hero Too is, apparently, involved with Atlus in some way and they say there’s “Absolute zero chance [Persona] 6 releases this year.” The project has supposedly been delayed internally, which wouldn’t be surprising considering Atlus has yet to show even a single piece of concept art for the next Persona game.
There may still be something coming from Atlus this year, however, aside from the already-announced Etrian Odyssey Origins collection. Im a Hero Too goes on to say, “I'm not involved in any way with the other two games, I just see stuff here and there. My bet is 6 comes after them so there could be something this year, I can't really comment on that confidently.”
A remake of Persona 3 has been heavily rumored for the last year, and six years ago Atlus showed off a teaser for a game called Project Re Fantasy, which we’ve still yet to see in any meaningful way. It seems incredibly likely that both those titles would release before the eventual Persona 6, and it’s entirely possible Atlus is also working on another Shin Megami Tensei spinoff, considering the studio released Soul Hackers 2 in 2022.
Still, it’s not entirely surprising that Persona 6 is taking extra time. Development of Persona 5 started in 2008 shortly after the release of Persona 4, but the game wasn’t officially revealed until 2013, with a release date in 2014. A year later the game was delayed as development had shifted to also include a release on PlayStation 4. It would, unfortunately, be delayed again and wouldn’t actually release until September 2016, with a Western release not coming until April 2017.
Part of the reason for Persona 5’s various delays was the general scope of the game, considering it’s a massive 100-plus-hour experience with an almost absurd amount of content. It’s possible Persona 6 could be in a similar state, and early development could have started on PS4 with the team needing to shift to accommodate the PS5 at some point.
It’s easy to see how Atlus would want to avoid a situation like Persona 5 again where they need to announce multiple delays, and the studio could be holding off on an official announcement because of that. The massive worldwide success of the franchise should also be kept in mind, as Sega and Atlus will likely want a simultaneous worldwide release which would, again, extend development.
Atlus always seems to have multiple irons in the fire, and the studio is known for announcing and talking about projects when it's good and ready. Persona 6 will come eventually, but we might be waiting a while.
