When Persona 6 finally sees the light of day it will break a disappointing franchise release record.
The hit RPG/charming life sim franchise from Japanese studio Atlus will have its day in the sun again, but when that will actually happen remains to be seen. The last proper taste of the series gamers got was all the way back in 2016 with Persona 5 (which was re-released with added content in 2020 under the subtitle Royal).
Because of this lengthy wait, Persona 6 has become a bit of a white whale for fans, making them rampant for any morsel of news they can on the title.
Persona 6 Is Already Breaking Records
Despite having not yet officially been announced, Persona 6 is already breaking franchise release records (albeit disappointingly).
As of Friday, November 22, 2024, whenever Persona 6 is finally released it will break the franchise record for the longest wait between mainline games.
This is taking into account only Japanese release dates for the hit RPG franchise, where the previous record holder was Persona 5, which was released a whopping 2990 days after its predecessor Persona 4.
With no official release date having been announced for Persona 6, this mark will only continue to grow, easily eclipsing 3000 days between proper mainline Persona releases.
This does not include any of the Persona spin-offs, remakes, or expanded rereleases, all things that have become commonplace in the franchise.
Below is a full list of mainline Persona releases and the gaps between them:
- Revelations: Persona - September 20, 1996
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin - June 24, 1999 (1018 days since Revelations: Persona)
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - June 29, 2000 (372 days since Persona 2: Innocent Sin)
- Persona 3 - July 13, 2006 (2206 days since Persona 2: Eternal Punishment)
- Persona 4 - July 10, 2008 (729 days since Persona 4)
- Persona 5 - September 15, 2016 (2990 days since Persona 5)
- Persona 6 - TBA (2991 days and counting since Persona 5)
When Will Persona 6 Be Released?
As of writing, this new franchise record between Persona release has no end in sight.
Persona 6 has not yet been officially announced, and a release date remains unknown. However, fans may not be waiting for information about the game for too much longer.
For months, it has been reported that work on Persona 6 has been going smoothly, with the word back in April 2024 being that the game was reportedly "95% complete" (via leaker Head on the Block):
"['Persona 6'] is a fully featured semi-open world game, it's 95% complete and is releasing next year with DLC. The bigger DLC will have story and characters yes but the full game is a full game. I just don't know why people are hampering on 'Persona' having DLC and don't question almost every other major single player game that gets bonus DLC. It's weird to me, this isn't a new thing."
And yet, even months later SEGA and Atlus remain tight-lipped about the sequel.
Reliable Persona leaker Ryan from the Bronx teased as the game eclipsed the franchise release record that "development of P6 has moved towards localization" and much of the game's team has already moved to the game's DLC/expansion plans:
"At the end of the day, anything is possible, and development of 'P6' has moved towards localization. However, as of this past month, development on DLC expansions for this title are beginning to move further along."
This could mean the game is nearing done and SEGA and Atlus are waiting for the perfect moment. It may also mean that SEGA is holding the title until it is 100% localized perhaps prepping the game for its first simultaneous worldwide release.
Since Persona 5, the Western fanbase of Persona has grown exponentially. Atlus experimented with a worldwide release for its two 2024 RPGs, the Persona 3 remake Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Whether Persona 6 gets a global simultaneous release an announcement before the end of 2024 (perhaps at Geoff Keighley's annual Game Award celebration) or early in 2025 could be on the docket.
This could then lead to a release (either Japan-only or worldwide) before the end of 2026.
Persona 6 still has no official release date, but is expected to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
