Persona 6’s Existence Makes Me Sad That Another Persona 5 Spin-Off Didn’t Happen

The announcement of Persona 6 means that our long time with Persona 5 Royal is over, just how that game’s reveal marked a lengthy attachment to Persona 4 at the time. The mega RPG experiences this series provides usually creates tons of room for multiple spin-off games, usually taking familiar and beloved characters and placing them in new situations. However, with Persona 5‘s tenure closing, there’s one spin-off I would have liked to see before moving on to the next game in the franchise.

There have already been a few spin-off games from Persona 5, including the action RPG Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5: The Phantom X, a free-to-play gacha game with new characters. Other titles, like Persona 5 Tactica, transformed the typical gameplay of the series, changing the turn-based combat into something out of a different genre altogether. Tactica changed Persona 5 into a XCOM-style strategy game, while Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight was a rhythm game, showing just how far you can push one of the Persona games in varying directions.

Persona 5 Arena Probably Won’t Happen Now That Atlus’ Efforts Are Pointed Toward Persona 6

One of the spin-off games I was hoping for the most during Persona 5‘s time in the sun was Persona 5 Arena, a fighting game similar to Persona 4 Arena created with the last series entry. Persona 4 Arena was a marvelous fighting game featuring fan-favorite characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4, including a few new faces who expanded upon the lore of both those games. This title, created by Atlus in partnership with Guilty Gear and BlazBlue creators Arc System Works, was a robust 1v1 fighting game that is often considered an underrated gem by genre fans.

The idea of a Persona 5 Arena is all too tempting for those same fighting game fans, mainly for how they stylish aesthetic of Persona 5 would fit perfectly into that type of title. Calling upon a Persona in battle while characters use different attacks that match their personality is a dream come true for people who are already fans of those characters. For example, the hard-hitting and fierce nature of Makoto Nijima (aka “Queen”) could easily translate into a rushdown brawler in a fighting game, with a super move tied to her Persona’s motorcycle form for cinematic moments.

With so many updates about Persona 6 now, though, it’s doubtful that Persona 5 is in the works over at Atlus. The current Persona 4 Revival remake project is already the next big game from that studio, with Persona 6 likely to come after it with an entirely brand-new cast of characters. Since that game is the franchise’s future, going back to the past for a game that came out 10 years ago doesn’t make too much sense, no matter how cool a Persona 5 Arena game would look.

Developer Arc System Works Already Has Their Hands Full On Their Current Fighting Game Projects

Another reason why Persona 5 Arena probably won’t happen is that Atlus is unlikely to form a partnership with Arc System Works again like they did with Persona 4 Arena. Currently, Arc System Works is busy launching Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a 4v4 tag team fighting game featuring iconic Marvel Comics characters. This game is one the studio has been developing for years, likely filling up their schedule at any point in the past they would have been otherwise been available for another Persona project.

At the same time, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle was a project released during Persona 5‘s life cycle, but featured characters from Persona 4 Arena instead of figures from the latest game. That crossover title saw many redesigns of characters from across multiple fighting game libraries, including BlazBlue, Under Night In-Birth, Persona 4 Arena, and even new faces from the RWBY online animated series. This game mainly re-used assets from Persona 4 Arena to create its characters, meaning that no new ones were made for a potential game with Persona 5 party members.

Arc System Works’ continued support of Marvel Tokon and other fighting games like DragonBall FighterZ and Guilty Gear Strive were probably also factors that prevented them from creating a new Persona related project. The developer has had their hands full for a long time now, despite their incredible growth with the release of the latest Guilty Gear game. With other companies similarly busy, such as SNK and French-Bread, Atlus likely had nowhere to go when it came to pitching a solid Persona 5 Arena idea if they wanted to make one.

Persona 4 Arena Still Holds Up As A Fantastic Fighting Game Even 15 Years After Release

Thankfully, Persona 4 Arena and its Ultimax edition still remains a great fighting game, even by today’s evolving standards for the genre. The stylish game uses custom 2D animation to present beloved characters from Persona 4 and 3, creating a small but varied roster of characters. Although rumors about another Persona fighting game project aren’t valid anymore, players can always go back to the Persona-wielding action of that title. Innovative gameplay systems in this title are different from any other fighting game out there, making it innovative and unique even 14 years after its launch.

Hopefully, the upcoming development of the series’ next major title will reinvigorate Atlus to start making interesting spin-offs like Persona 4 Arena, instead of gacha games. There is a chance that Persona 6‘s popularity spawns an Arena version of that game, which will include multiple games’ worth of characters like the first fighting game spin-off managed to do.

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