As part of the ongoing celebration of the 25th anniversary of Atlus' long-running Japanese role-playing game series Persona, announcements have been slowly rolling out all year long. These range from concert events to figurines and other merchandise to rumors of new games in the series, possibly even the long-awaited Persona 6. Atlus' latest announcement is aimed at fans of Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers. Persona 5 Royal is a remade, enhanced version of the original Persona 5, while Persona 5 Strikers - called Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers in Japan - is a Musou-style fighting game set after the events of the original.
Persona 5 Royal, released in 2019 in Japan and 2020 worldwide, expands the story of the original Persona 5 by allowing players to experience an additional semester of brand-new plot alongside Joker and the Phantom Thieves. It also adds a new playable character, Yoshizawa, a new Confidant, Dr. Maruki, and several new quests and challenges. Persona 5 Strikers, which debuted in Japan in 2020 but did not see worldwide release until 2021, follows the Phantom Thieves as they embark on a new journey across Japan to investigate a series of mysterious incidents.
Now, Atlus has made the soundtracks of Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers available via streaming services Spotify and Apple Music. Both were released at midnight on February 22, 2022. The Royal soundtrack adds 30 new tracks, including a new opening theme, 'Colors Fly High' and both overworld and battle themes for the newly created third semester. The Strikers soundtrack consists of 46 tracks and includes new compositions and remade versions of classic Persona 5 tracks, including 'Last Surprise' and 'Rivers in the Desert.' As the series has received high praise for its music, especially the work of composer Shoji Meguro, these new Spotify and Apple Music additions will likely be positively received by fans.
The Spotify and Apple Music release of the Persona 5 Royal and Strikers soundtracks is only one of the ways Atlus is celebrating the series' anniversary. Fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is receiving a remastered version coming to modern consoles on March 18, 2022.
Several of Persona 5's Phantom Thieves, including Queen, Oracle, Fox, and Noir, are receiving brand-new figurines throughout 2022. Atlus has also indicated that it intends to release a 'pillar' title sometime in 2022, which may be Persona 6, another Persona spinoff, or a remaster of an earlier title, such as Persona 3.
Persona 5 Royal is currently available for PlayStation 4. Persona 5 Strikers is currently available for Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4.