Persona 6 is set to be the next major title in the long-running JRPG Persona series, but its release may also be a crucial event for the new console generation. Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S are set to go up against Sony's PlayStation 5 next month, and as with every generation, exclusives matter.
Though Persona 6 won't be among the opening salvos, it still has the potential to score a big hit for the PlayStation 5. Over the last few years, Microsoft has been rapidly acquiring games studios, building up a strong fleet of potential exclusives, particularly in the RPG genre. To stand a chance of competing, Sony will need to hold on to its own exclusives, including the Persona series.
Microsoft's Acquisitions
While Microsoft has snapped up plenty of development studios over the past few years, it seems to have taken a special interest in RPG developers. Back in 2018, the gaming giant acquired Playground Games, which is now working on a new Fable title; inXile Entertainment, maker of the Wasteland series; and Obsidian Entertainment, the developer behind Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and upcoming first-person RPG, Avowed. To put the cherry on its rapidly growing RPG cake, Microsoft also recently acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of eight game studios, including RPG-legend Bethesda.
The end result of these acquisitions her is that Microsoft is in a very comfortable position with western RPGs, and focusing on exclusive RPGs has been something that has worked well for Microsoft in the past. For example, console players needed an Xbox or Xbox 360 to play the following games at release: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, Deus Ex: Invisible War, The Witcher 2, and the Fable trilogy.
The Importance of Persona 6
While Persona 6 is likely a year or two away yet, it has been unofficially confirmed to be in development at the studio. As it looks set to arrive relatively early in the next console generation, an exclusive Persona 6 could be just what PlayStation need to draw RPG fans back from Microsoft's western heavy-hitters. The universal acclaim that Persona 5 received from critics and fans has made a big splash in the gaming community, and many are now putting the series on a level with other greats in the RPG genre. If PlayStation could maintain its exclusivity deal with Atlus, then Persona 6 is set to become one of the most sought-after RPG exclusives of all time.
While Persona 5 is still a PlayStation exclusive, there's some evidence to suggest that Persona 6 might not be. A recent survey from Atlus asked Japanese players whether they'd play previous Atlus games if they were ported to the Nintendo Switch. This wouldn't be the first time the developer has worked with Nintendo. Persona 5 Scramble, the action-RPG spin-off, released for the PS4 and Switch earlier this year. In addition, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, a dungeon crawler, was launched in 2018 exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.
There are also a handful of Persona titles that have seen PC ports, including Persona 4 Golden, the extended version of Persona 4. However, Switch has always been seen as the good guy in the middle between the battle of PlayStation and Xbox, so even if it weren't exclusive in this sense, it still not being on Xbox would go a long way. If this is the case, then the upcoming Persona title could be vital for the PlayStation's ability to stand up to the Xbox's new RPG dominance.
Persona 6 has not been officially announced.