Personafans have a lot of questions for Atlus aboutPersona 6. The form ofPersona 6is largely in question, considering how many people fell in love withPersona 5.Some fans would rather see Atlus come up with another game using the Phantom Thieves than start over again with a new storyline. For another thing, fans want to know simply whenPersona 6is supposed to come out. It could still be a long way out, since Atlus has had plenty of otherPersonaprojects come out recently. However, it’s 2021, and that means Atlus is celebratingPersona’s 25th anniversary. Many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping to at least seePersona 6revealed.
However, there’sone more important detail ofPersona 6that fans would love to know about, even if it’s not as frequently the topic of debate. Fans want to know what console or consolesPersona 6will be available on. Some speculate thatPersona 6will be a PS5 exclusive so that Atlus can make its graphics and performance far more intense than any previous entry, as so many other developers are doing. ThePersonafranchise might actually lose more than it gains if its next entry turned out to be a PS5 exclusive, though. The franchise’s surge of success would respond best to keeping the next game as accessible as possible.
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Weighing Atlus' Options
For a long time now,Personafans have been optimistic thatPersona 6will show up on the PS4. That’s in large part due to a survey Atlus put out in 2019, asking fans what platforms they’d like to see Atlus games come to in the future, both new games and remakes.Persona 6stuck out like a sore thumb to survey takers, and the mere mention of the game got a lot of people excited. The context certainly seemed to imply that Atlus was open tothe idea ofPersona 6being availableon many platforms, which is striking, considering how the franchise has been largely confined to PlayStations in recent history.
If Atlus is considering making the game a PS5 exclusive now, though, it can’t be blamed for at least considering that.The PS5 is a big hit, and it’s already proven to be an extremely powerful console. Even though the PS5 is well stocked with big games, both released and upcoming,Personacurrently has the clout to make a splash as a PS5 exclusive. Many fans dream of seeing aPersonagame running smoothly at a crisp 60 FPS, so Atlus certainly wouldn’t be hurting for a market ifPersona 6was exclusive to a next-gen console.
However, if it did that, it would go against the entire spirit of the survey it recently offered its fans. Atlus wouldn’t put out a survey like that if it wasn’t interested in figuring out the best ways to deliver content to its fans. It’s probably realized by now that not everyPersonafan has a PS5 or is planning to invest in one yet, so many fans would probably be disgruntled by a PS5 exclusivePersona 6,rather than excited about it. After all, it’s hard to be excited about a game that one can’t play. Fans have been asking Atlus formore access toPersonagamesa lot lately, and PS5 exclusivity would fly in the face of those hopes.
Accessibility Helps Everyone
Not only wouldPersona 6on PS5 only hurt fans, but it would defy the message Atlus has recently been sending in terms of platforms it’s willing to putPersonagames on. Many fans would like to seePersonagames come to PC, for instance, so the community was delighted when Atlus announcedaPersona 4 Goldenremasterthat was coming to Steam. That defied all previous convention ofPersonagames, and made many fans optimistic forPersona 5on PC. Atlus followed upPersona 4 Goldenwith the multi-platformPersona 5 Strikers,which is available on PS4, PC, and Switch. That broad range makesPersonacontent available to tons of different fans.
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The pattern established byPersona 4 GoldenandPersona 5 Strikerswould suggestthat Atlus wants to be on more platforms. It seems like it took notes from the survey it put out and realized there’s a lot to be gained from making its games available to as many potential fans as possible. The more consoles thatPersona 6is playable on, the more potential buyers Atlus has.Persona 5brought in a lot of fans, but it’s also raisedPersonaawareness in general and might convince those who haven’t playedPersona 5to get into the franchise withPersona 6.Atlus can reach more of these possible players by broadening its horizons.
Atlus has built up so much momentum forPersonathat it shouldn’t suddenly take a gamble like next-gen exclusivity. It’s discovered that fans are happy to be able to playPersonagames on the platform of their choice, and it’s making tons of money to boot. Fans would be really disappointed to see Atlus go back on its apparent initiative to makePersonagames more widely available, and odds are Atlus would struggle to find the sales its hoping for.The PS5’s specs are tempting, but it can’t carryPersona 6all on its own.
The More The Merrier
Of course, none of this should stop Atlus from considering making a PS5 version ofPersona 6. Just because the game would suffer from being next-gen only doesn’t mean Atlus shouldn’t take a stab as a next-gen game at all. Plenty of other studios are making both PS4 and PS5 versions of their games right now, and there’s no reason Atlus can’t do the same. That wayPersonalovers without the new console can still keep up with the franchise, and those who have secured a PS5 canenjoyPersona 6as a top-of-the-line experience.
The fact remains thatPersona 6will suffer if it’s only on the PS5, as will thePersonafan community. It’s just not the practical thing to do for the franchise right now. Atlus promised last year that 2021 would be huge forPersona, as anyone would expect out of a franchise’s 25th anniversary. It remains to be seen just what Atlus has in store to celebrate the occasion. Even though there’s no sign yet of it coming out soon, fans will keep hoping thatPersona 6is on the cards from the near future. If it is,hopefully Atlus does what’s bestfor its fans and its booming franchise and chooses many platforms to bringPersona 6to.
