Is Atlus Leaning on Persona 5 Too Much?

Persona 5 is undoubtedly Atlas' most successful title in recent years, but the company's reliance on the hit JRPG is starting to backfire.

Although Atlus' Persona series has held a fairly large fan base throughout the years, it skyrocketed into mainstream popularity with the release of Persona 5. The game's memorable soundtrack, excellent writing and uniquely stylish visuals captivated longtime JRPG players while also appealing to those who aren't fans of the genre. Persona 5 quickly became a massive critical and commercial success, so it's no surprise that Atlus has released multiple spinoffs of the hit title. However, after almost seven years of constant promotion and releases, it might be time for Atlus to finally move on from the hit RPG..

Since the initial release of Persona 5, Atlus has found a seemingly endless variety of reasons to revisit the game's world and characters. Between direct adaptations, spinoff works and countless crossovers with other games, it seems as though Persona 5 has appeared in all forms at some point. Furthermore, Atlus shows no signs of stopping with both the strategy role-playing game Persona 5 Tactica and the free-to-play mobile title Persona 5: The Phantom X releasing soon. While the steady stream of releases may be wonderful news for diehard fans of Persona 5, many others feel that Atlus' seemingly endless tie-ins for the game are starting to lose their appeal.

The Pros and Cons of Persona 5's Prevalence

Even before Persona 5's abundance of adaptations and spinoffs, the Persona series had a wealth of superb side material. Persona 3 was adapted into four theatrically released films and received two re-releases that drastically improved and expanded upon the original game. Likewise, Persona 4 got two televised anime adaptations and a slew of creative spinoff titles. Even the original Revelations: Persona and the Persona 2 duology, while not receiving as much attention from Atlus as the later games, found a new audience through their PlayStation Portable remakes. Even now, Atlus is still supporting the previous Persona games with the recent PC and modern console ports of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, as well as the upcoming Persona 3 Reload.

While these releases were mainly targeted towards Persona fans, they've also allowed the series to reach a wider audience. Considering the extreme length of modern Persona games, the series' various adaptations provide shorter and easily accessible options for experiencing each game's story. Additionally, most Persona spinoffs branch out to other genres like rhythm games and 2D fighting games, which helps introduce the series to non-JRPG players. But for those who are already fans of the Persona series, these works offer a chance to revisit the series' excellent stories and characters, with some serving as direct sequels or side stories to the original games.

All of this is equally true for Persona 5's breadth of spinoffs and side material. Unfortunately, the overabundance and inconsistent quality of these releases made them far more divisive than previous Persona-related projects. Atlus' rushed attempts to capitalize on Persona 5's success resulted in its lackluster anime adaptation and the disappointing Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, which released too early to feature music from the later spinoffs. Even the better Persona 5 spinoffs were hindered by other issues, such as Persona Q2 releasing at the tail end of the Nintendo 3DS's lifespan and Persona 5 Strikers retreading many familiar plot beats from the original game.

Although Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 5: The Phantom X have the potential to be excellent titles, many players are getting tired of the series. The varying quality of its spinoffs and adaptations and Atlus' constant promotion of the game have gradually chipped away at fans' enthusiasm for Persona 5. Most importantly, this is the longest that fans have ever waited for a new mainline Persona game, yet there hasn't been any official news regarding the next installment. While its spinoffs and related works have kept fans entertained during this wait, plenty of players are starting to feel more frustration than excitement towards the franchise.

Why Atlus Still Relies on Persona 5

There's no doubt that Persona 5 is one of Atlus' greatest successes in the past decade, meaning anything marketed towards its fans has a good chance of being profitable. As such, it makes sense that Atlus is catering to its massive fan base with as many tie-in products and new releases as possible. However, Persona 5 and its undying popularity have done much more for the publisher than most fans realize.

While Persona 5's success initially brought mainstream attention to the mainline Persona games, its fame eventually drew series newcomers to the rest of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Although the series once boasted a sizable following, its shift to handheld exclusives in more recent years caused the long-running franchise to fade from the limelight for all but the most hardcore JRPG veterans. However, Persona 5's success sparked Shin Megami Tensei's sudden resurgence in popularity and helped reestablish the franchise as a JRPG powerhouse. Because of this, the series returned to home consoles with the release of Shin Megami Tensei III Remastered as well as the highly anticipated Shin Megami Tensei V and Soul Hackers 2.

Persona 5's success may also encourage Atlus to revist other branches of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. The series has an extensive library of unique spinoffs and creative subseries, meaning there's plenty of reason for Atlus to deliver more sequels or modern ports of the franchise's countless underrated classics. Furthermore, with a larger audience and Atlus' higher budgets, the series' new entries can experiment with delivering larger worlds and more ambitious experiences. Nevertheless, it's still a great time to be a Shin Megami Tensei fan.

Additionally, while Persona 5 has undoubtedly been Atlus' most successful release in years, it isn't the first game that saw years of nonstop promotion. Starting with the release of Persona 4 Arena in 2012, Atlus continued to release new Persona 4 spinoff games on an annual basis up until the release of Persona 5. These games not only kept Persona fans invested in the series, but also ensured that it would explore the full potential of the game's characters and story. By the time Persona 4: Dancing All Night delivered one last hurrah for the Investigation Team, players were ready to move on to the next mainline entry.

Unfortunately, the growing exhaustion towards Persona 5 proves that this strategy can't work forever. Without any news regarding a potential Persona 6 release, Atlus' attempts to continue promoting Persona 5 seem like a desperate attempt to prolong its popularity rather than easing the wait for the next game. This issue will be slightly alleviated by the upcoming Persona 3 Reload, as the remake will provide a chance for the series to move away from the characters and stories of Persona 5. Even then, there's only so many times that Atlus can return to its previous titles before fans stop caring.

There's no doubt that Persona 5 and its many spinoffs have been essential to Atlus' recent successes. However, if the company wants to maintain its current popularity, it needs to be willing to let the Persona series move forward. While the series has yet to experience a major decline in sales or popularity, the franchise fatigue surrounding the Persona spinoffs shows that it's only a matter of time before Persona 5's stylish charm wears out for even its most dedicated fans.