Popularity can affect a game or franchise in a lot of ways. Some game designers decide to give fans more of what they already love and coast off what made their games popular. Others decide to reinvent the wheel and try completely different things within the same setting or with the same characters, taking risks with the game's popularity. The next franchise that has to answer this question is Persona. As Atlus' theoretical next Persona game approaches, it's going to have to consider which approach is best for the 25-year-old RPG series.
That's especially difficult to answer considering the way that Persona has surged in popularity in the last few years. It's no secret at this point that Persona 5 was a complete blockbuster by any measure, not just in terms of the Persona franchise's historical popularity. Persona itself was no small part of the RPG genre even before Persona 5 came along. Now that the series is selling many millions of copies, though, Atlus needs a way to respond to a bigger spotlight than ever. Persona is a series thoroughly aware of its history and past design choices, but breaking away from tradition is always a strong way to make a game stand out.
Persona's Cherished History
Persona 5 is remarkably good at not showing the franchise's age. It just so happens that the base game was released around the series' 20th anniversary. Although it made plenty of changes that set it apart from previous games, like shifting the Social Link system into the modified Confidant system, Persona 5 is filled with features that tie it back into games running back two decades. For instance, all basic enemies in Persona 5 are magical creatures, mythological figures, and so on whose designs remain mostly unchanged after all these years. The charming cartoony Jack Frost has served as Atlus' mascot for the last 30 years without undergoing hardly any major changes.
Part of the secret of Persona's ongoing success is its consistency. The games are generally very well received, which suggests Atlus has hit on a formula that simply works. The formula of renegade teenagers using supernatural powers to do good is a classic that Atlus knows how to wield. In spite of such a standard structure, though, Persona puts such a unique spin on it through lore and mechanics that it never feels cliche. In that sense, there's really not much that Atlus needs to change. Persona 6 could be a highly familiar game and still be a huge success.
However, that could ironically defy what fans expect out of Persona 6. Persona 5 fans that want to stick with the franchise after entering it there want to see what else Atlus has in store. If Persona 6 is just Persona 5 without the Phantom Thieves, it'd be a serious letdown. On the other hand, if it's another game with the Phantom Thieves, it'll need to feel distinct in some way, or else the Persona formula might feel a little stale after all.
Finding New Direction in Persona 6
One wonders, then, what Atlus could decide to change and how different those facets could turn out. There's a few core components that are bound to be the same in Persona 6. It'll always be an RPG about young adults or teenagers wielding Personas in a world apart from their own, and the relationships that players form with their teammates and other friends will always be important, both mechanically and for immersion. Even within these core structures, though, there's a lot of adjustments Atlus could make.
Considering the adjustments made in Persona 5, there's a good change Persona 6 will look at Social Link again. Atlus could weave a much more complicated web than in the previous game, for instance, tasking the player with creating relationships between other characters to benefit everyone. There could also be major overhauls of the combat system, whether it's changes to the damage type roster or status effects, complete redesigns of many enemies, or a new type of combat altogether. Turn-based gameplay shines through in both Persona and parent franchise Shin Megami Tensei, but one wonders if Persona 5 Strikers has inspired Atlus to take a bit more of an action angle.
However, even though Persona 6 needs to be unique compared to the previous games, it'll scare off players if its too different. Persona 5 drew in players by being a star among turn based RPGs. If it sacrifices big parts of its identity in the name of uniqueness, new Persona fans who can't compare it to Persona 5 might look for their RPG fix elsewhere. Similarly, many Persona veterans would probably be very upset to see the games turn into something incomparable to the past. If Atlus steps too far out of line with Persona 6, it could quickly mean trouble.
Balancing Persona 6
It's up to Atlus to find the balance, but there's a few new things Atlus could do to make Persona 6 special. The game's aesthetic is bound to be important. Persona 5's red and black color palette, as well as its jazzy debonair soundtrack, give it a unique look, sound, and tone that helped build its popularity. Persona 6 will stand out visually and musically without a doubt. Another tool at Atlus' disposal is the power of the PS5. It wouldn't be surprising if Persona 6 is a PlayStation exclusive, which means Atlus can use the next-gen console's power and speed to its advantage. That could result in huge, sprawling open world environments for players to explore between missions and adventures. It could also mean equally huge dungeons that would help Persona 6 expand into a particularly long game.
In the end, maybe the PS5 is the key to Atlus balancing new and old in Persona 6. Its ability to wrangle massive amounts of data might mean Atlus simply expands on the things that make Persona good, rather than changing them. Scores of new threats, challenges, objectives, and side ventures could all be arranged and rendered at once on a PS5, making for new complicated puzzles, more elaborate battles, and downtime activities that are practically games on their own. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one game that proved a franchise can change drastically and still be beloved. Persona 6 has both veterans and new fans to keep in mind moving ahead, but if Atlus measures twice and cuts once, it could be another blockbuster.
Persona 6 is rumored to be in development.