What was once a sub-franchise of the Shin Megami Tensei series in the late 90s, the Persona series quickly became its own entity with over five titles and several spin-offs of the Atlus franchise. With its myriad of fighting and rhythm games, the Persona series may be getting another spin-off title in the works, although on mobile devices instead.
The main Shin Megami Tensei series already has a mobile game available, titled Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2, that combined core elements of SMT with other popular "gacha" titles. For a popular series like Persona, however, some fans have wondered when their title would also receive the mobile game treatment. According to a recent conference, Persona fans may not have to wait long.
Originally shared by gaming analyst Daniel Ahmad, the Chinese game developer Perfect World made the announcement earlier today that it was developing a mobile game for a "famous JRPG IP" that has sold "over 10 million units worldwide." The following teaser trailer shows a lone figure on the roof of a building within the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. A woman is shown hacking into a database, causing the figure to run across the Scramble as alarms are triggered. Throughout the trailer, music reminiscent of Shoji Meguro's work plays in the background, ending with the title CODE NAME: X.
Perfect World Games did not immediately share more information about the title, nor what popular "JRPG IP" the game will be based on. Those familiar with Persona 5 were able to piece together the atmosphere, aesthetic, and location as being a spin-off of the most popular game in the Persona series.
The promotional art for the game shows a woman, presumably the same hacker from the trailer, in an outfit reminiscent of Persona 5's Joker, down to the mask she wears. The binary code that the hacker runs in the background when translated, says "PERSONA 5X." In a later tweet, Ahmad tweeted confirmation from Perfect World Games that the IP was based on the Persona series.
Perfect World Games, as a company, is best known for its popular MMO of the same name, Perfect World. The company is also responsible for the distribution of Counter-Strike: Global Offense and Dota 2 in China among other western titles. Currently, it is perhaps best known for being the publisher of the Magic: the Gathering MMO spinoff, Magic: Legends.
During its press conference, Perfect World Games had announced over 30 titles, many based on Japanese IPs including One Punch Man and the Million Arthur series. Currently, the Persona-based IP mobile game will only release in China, however, it may see a worldwide release due to Persona's international popularity.
CODE NAME: X is currently in development for mobile devices.