Atlus' announcement of a 25th Anniversary celebration for its beloved Persona series broke within 24 hours of the news that Persona 6 is in development. The Persona 6 update did not come from an Atlus press release, but rather from sleuthing done on the company's Japanese recruitment site. With the 25th Anniversary event also in place, one wonders when Altus plans to officially announce Persona 6.
When digesting the speculation around Persona 6, it's worth ing that 2020 was a huge year for Persona 5. Both the musou sequel Persona 5 Strikers and the revamped edition Persona 5 Royal were released in 2020's first quarter. This means the Persona team has only been freed up to think about new projects for about a year and a half. COVID remains a looming concern in Japan, where Persona games are developed, and since Atlus has only recently begun hiring for Persona 6, it's possible that delays have pushed plans back. All of this suggests that fans should brace themselves for the release of Persona 6 to be many years away.
However, that doesn't mean the announcement of Persona 6 will be long off. On their official Twitter, Atlus announced that the 25th Anniversary of Persona will last a full year. In addition to special merchandise, the year-long celebration will consist of seven announcements, the first of which will take place in September. Many of these announcements could be more merchandise, but, suspiciously, the Anniversary website lists the five announcements following September's as "coming soon," with the final announcement already marked for "2022 / autumn." This hints that this final announcement could be a big one. If the official announcement of Persona 6 is not in September, it will likely be the anniversary's final announcement in fall 2022.
Why Persona 6 Will Likely Be Announced During The 25th Anniversary Celebration
There are also hints of a potential Persona 6 announcement couched within the 25th Anniversary merchandise. As initially pointed out by Persona games' cover art and a set of "trading cards" with the series' protagonists - have their final installations marked as "secret." There is really only one thing that "secret" could possibly be: art from Persona 6.
Persona 5 has been the pinnacle of the series' popularity so far, and Atlus is well aware of the pressure this places on Persona 6. According to news during the 25th Persona Anniversary has been circulating for months, which one wonder what this recruitment means for how deep into development Persona 6 might be. Hiraoka went on to say that "exceeding 5 will be difficult with the current staff. I would like to sur this tall hurdle with everyone who s us in this recruitment."
Given that the recruitment push for Persona 6 appears to be currently escalating, the game's release is most likely many years down the line. However, Atlus is signaling that an official announcement of Persona 6 will headline Persona's 25th anniversary celebration. Since Persona 6 cover art and protagonist art are already couched within official Atlus merchandise, it's safe to assume the announcement will include footage of the game's characters. The only question is whether Atlus will acknowledge its "secret" merchandise at the start of the 25th Anniversary celebration and announce Persona 6 in September, or whether the Anniversary will go out with a bang in fall 2022.
Source: 25th Anniversary website, PC Gamer, ComicBook