What to Expect from Atlus in 2021 | Game Rant
Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus had a very successful year in 2020. Not only did the studio release Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Encore, Persona 5 Royal, Catherine: Full Body (for Nintendo Switch) and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, all of which were incredibly received, but the Steam release of Persona 4 Golden has opened up a brand new future for Atlus and its parent company Sega on PC.
Atlus has left fans with more than enough to be excited for heading into 2021, which is looking to be the most exciting year in the company's history. The publisher and its development teams are currently undergoing a major transitional period, and it's likely to affect how it the company produces games. With major upcoming releases in the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises, as well as the introduction of a brand new IP from the minds behind Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5, here is what to expect from Atlus in 2021
While Atlus' Japanese and western branches have often acted independently, with English language releases of most of the publisher's titles usually coming months after their launch in Japan, Shin Megami Tensei 5 will launch simultaneously worldwide in 2021. This may be due in part to Nintendo's ownership of the game as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, with the company likely providing Atlus with the resources necessary to make Shin Megami Tensei 5 its first major simultaneous worldwide launch.
Beyond that, Atlus is starting 2021 with a bang, as one of the studio's major titles already has a release date. Persona 5 Strikers, which originally released in Japan on February 20th 2020 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Now, fans know that Persona 5 Strikers is slated to launch in the rest of the world on February 23rd 2021, just over a year after its Japanese launch. Its Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions will be joined by a PC release via Steam, making this the first time an Atlus game has launched on consoles and PC simultaneously.
Beyond this, Atlus' western branch is still hard at work on localizing Shin Megami Tensei: Nocture HD Remaster, which released in Japan on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on October 29, 2020. Unfortunately, fans do not know much about when to expect Nocturne HD beyond its Q1 2021 release window, especially since the game has been sidelined due to Persona 5 Stikers' marketing. At this point, it wouldn't be too surprising to see SMT: Nocturne HD Remaster slip to due to potential troubles facing its new English dub, as 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was also delayed due to its English voice recording sessions being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it usually does at the end of every year, Atlus has already begun teasing us for what to expect in 2021, and it seems to be the most secretive the company has been in recent memory. Persona series producer Kazuhisa Wada recently teased some sort of celebration regarding Persona's 25th anniversary. While it may be jumping the gun to expect the announcement of Persona 6 in 2021, fans know that something is coming.
The publisher could be preparing some sort of Persona collection, as it has taken an interest in remastering older titles with SMT: Nocturne HD Remaster. This collection would hopefully include the PSP remakes of the first two games, Persona 3: FES, and Persona 4 Golden, as well as the first ever localization of the PSP version of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. However, it still remains uncertain what is happening for its anniversary.
2020 also saw Atlus bring Catherine: Full Body to Nintendo Switch. While this was an unexpected move for fans hoping for Persona 5 to make the jump, it sets a good precedent for the studio porting other legacy titles to the console in the future. While it still remains to be seen whether there are some contractual obligations restricting mainline Persona entries from making the jump to Switch, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim would be an excellent pick for the platform, as the game shows its roots as a canceled PlayStation Vita title. Even Vanillaware's older titles such as Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir and Dragon's Crown Pro would be an excellent fit for the console.
Recently Shinjiro Takada, director of the Devil Survivor series teased that he will be announcing a new title in 2021, the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor series of strategy RPGs would be right at home on Nintendo Switch. The first two entries are among the most beloved Nintendo DS RPGs ever made. Be it a new collection, or new title, this would be one to watch in 2021.
Finally, there's Project Re Fantasy, the new title from Persona 3, 4, and 5 director Katsura Hashino. Project Re Fantasy: A Fool's Journey Begins is the first title from Studio Zero, an internal Atlus studio founded by the company's veterans to create a new RPG IP. While the title is still very much a placeholder, the game started development in December 2016 after Hashino announced that Persona 5 would be the last title in the series under his direction. Persona character designer Shigenori Soejima is also returning to design characters for the game, with the game's concept art looking impressive.
Project Re Fantasy was initially slated to be announced in 2019, but these plans did not pan out. In a recent issue of Famitsu, Hashino claimed that development on Project Re Fantasy had reached the "climax," meaning the game could be announced and released in 2021. Platforms have not been announced for Project Re Fantasy, meaning the game could release on anything from PC to Nintendo Switch, or even as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. This is one of the most exciting announcements yet to come from Atlus in 2021.
Overall, 2021 is looking to be the most exciting year for Atlus fans in recent memory, even more exciting than Persona 5's western release in 2017 due to the sheer amount of quality games the studio has in the works. This year will be especially exciting for fans wanting to jump into the company's past and future, thanks to the return of titles such as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, and brand new, eagerly anticipated titles such as Shin Megami Tensei 5 and Project Re Fantasy.
Reviewed by Unknown
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January 01, 2021
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