Persona 6 is a total mystery as of this writing. All that Atlus has said explicitly about the next Persona is that it's in the works, and that it aims to make a title even greater than Persona 5. That's a tall order considering how much love Persona 5 has generated, so one wonders what Atlus plans on doing to make such a successful game. Some rumors claim that Persona 6 will be PS5 exclusive. The PS5 certainly has loading speeds and rendering capabilities that could result in a smooth and beautiful Persona experience.

With that said, making Persona 6 a PS5 exclusive would be a mistake. Persona is changing in a lot of ways lately, and that includes an increasing willingness from Atlus to send its fans to other consoles. Ideally, Persona 6 will pursue that trend and launch on platforms like PC and the Nintendo Switch rather than limiting access to PS5 users alone. Between Atlus' change in its approach to distributing Persona and the growing fanbase, it's clear that the next game needs to be available on more than one kind of console.

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Persona's New Distribution Model

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Although Atlus isn't a Sony subsidiary, Persona is historically associated with the PlayStation family of consoles. The franchise got its start on the original PlayStation, and since then Persona games have continuously appeared on Sony consoles, including the handheld PlayStation Portable and Vita. That's not to say Persona is PlayStation exclusive; several side games and spin-offs have appeared on consoles like the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo 3DS, for instance. However, from a historical perspective, the franchise overwhelmingly favors the PlayStation.

That has started to change. While the Persona 5 action-RPG successor Persona 5 Strikers debuted on PS4, it also released on Nintendo Switch and PC. Additionally, when Persona 4 Golden got a new release in 2020, it went directly to PC. In 2022, Persona fans will also get a port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on PC, PS4, and Switch. These three games establish a clear pattern of Atlus' willingness to send Persona games to consoles other than the PlayStation, with an emphasis on the PC and Switch.

Because of that pattern, making Persona 6 a PS5 exclusive would be a step backwards. Through Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Atlus is building strong ties with the Switch and PC audiences, expanding the franchise's influence outside the PlayStation. If it then decided to make Persona 6 PlayStation exclusive, Atlus would be wasting those ties. It would be wiser to make the next Persona game available to non-PlayStation users in order to capitalize on the franchise's growth.

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Fans Want More Access to Persona

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There's already compelling evidence that Persona 6 exclusive to the PlayStation 5 would be a bad idea. When the rumor first cropped up, many Persona fans took to Twitter to express their distaste, so hopefully Atlus is listening. While PS5 shortages will hopefully be resolved by the time Persona 6 comes out, limiting the game to that platform could still shut out a lot of fans.

The potential of a PS5 or broadly PlayStation-exclusive Persona 6 is more disappointing considering additional recent Persona news. At the same time that Persona fans heard about Persona 6's potential exclusivity, a leaker claimed that Persona 4 would come to Switch and PS5. That move would further cement Atlus' broadening horizons and inspire new hope that Persona 5 will become available outside the PS3 and PS4. Side games on multiple consoles are great, but seeing a core Persona game rerelease on Switch would be a much bigger deal for the franchise's future.

After the overwhelmingly positive response to Persona 5, it remains surprising that Atlus has taken so long to make the game available for more audiences. For years, fans have been asking for a PC version of Persona 5, but Atlus has been slow to act. Persona 5 could still be a huge success on PC or Switch, even through five years have passed since it released; Atlus just needs to have faith in the franchise's growth. The same goes for Persona 6. While it'd definitely be a safe move to keep Persona 6 on the PlayStation, it just doesn't seem prudent to limit the series to one console anymore.

Uncertainty and Hope for Persona 6

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It seems likely that the air of mystery around Persona 6 will become a central part of its identity in the coming years. Persona 6 has more eyes on it than usual, and at the same time there's more hopes and demands for Persona 6 than Atlus may be used to. Fans don't just want to see the game on multiple platforms; the Persona community also want characters as compelling as the Phantom Thieves, mechanics as strong as Persona 5's Confidants, and so on. Persona 6 inherits Persona 5's fame, but it also has to tread carefully to avoid disappointing players.

In spite of that complicated position, now is the time for Atlus to be bold. Persona has never been this successful, and it's in a prime position to keep gathering fans if it can reach people outside its usual platform. Based on sales of Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Strikers, there's clearly a lot of people eager to play Persona games on something other than a PlayStation, and Atlus should take that to heart. Rather than taking the easy road of PS5 exclusivity, Persona 6 is the perfect opportunity to cement Persona's new identity as a multi-platform franchise.

Persona 6 is in development.

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