The Persona series has really exploded in popularity over the last few years, no doubt in part to the smash hit that was Persona 5 as well as the PC release of Persona 4 Golden. As a result, Persona 6 is one of the most highly anticipated titles for JRPG fans, but there's no telling as to when fans can expect it as there hasn't even been so much as a teaser announcing its development. Although Atlus has been relatively quiet about Persona 6's development, the many cameos that characters from Persona 5 have been making in other games seem to bode well for the upcoming mainline Persona entry.
While not directly tied to Persona 6, the many different Persona cameos as of late seem to indicate to fans that Atlus has definitely not forgotten about the franchise. Not only have there have been plenty of spinoff titles for Persona 5, but including its characters in things like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gives a pretty clear message: Persona is here to stay, and it's going to keep growing in popularity before P6 launches sometime in the future.
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Keeping Persona Alive
There's not really an argument to be made that Atlus isn't making the most of Persona 5's popularity. With the major successes of its spinoff and sequel titles like Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, and Persona 5 Strikers, it's pretty clear that P5 is not only widely popular but that Atlus is willing to let it continue growing. While spinoffs are all well and good, they don't always do much to help grow a series as outsiders typically look at a spinoff as something for the fans of any particular franchise and aren't always the most likely to pick it up as a result. That's why the cameos that P5 characters have been making are an even bigger deal.
During Gamescom Opening Night Live, it was announced that Persona 5's Morgana would be added to Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania,which really cemented the series as being open to all sorts of cameo appearances and not just limited to "serious" ones. In addition to Monkey Ball, P5 characters have been in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Another Eden, Catherine: Full Body, Sonic Forces, and Toyko Mirage Sessions #FE just to name a few. With each subsequent cameo appearance/crossover, fans of the series are reminded about Persona, never truly letting it fall to the backs of anyone's minds.
What's more, the sheer number of P5 cameos also keeps the franchise alive in the minds of people who haven't yet played a Persona game. By seeing Morgana in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania or Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, people unfamiliar with the series are constantly being reminded of its existence. With each reminder and successful crossover, those people are that much more likely to give Persona a shot.
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Showing Potential Fans a Different Side of Persona
People who aren't particularly familiar with the Persona series might not have the right idea as to what it is, so when a character appears in a crossover, they have the chance to understand what the franchise is actually all about. While Persona might seem like a serious high school drama mixed with an RPG-dungeon crawler, the game has a lot more humor and wit than it might appear to have on the surface.
Bringing a character like Morgana to Super Monkey Ballis a perfect example of this. Although Morgana is already something of a mascot for the series, those who don't know much about him might not know just how funny he is. By putting Morgana in Monkey Ball, Atlus has allowed potential fans of the series to see the character and the franchise in a way that they might not have before. By doing that, it can bring even more fans to the series that might have heard about it in the past, but not had a good handle on what it actually is.
When Joker was announced to be coming to Smash, it was the first introduction some Nintendo fans had to the franchise, as there hadn't ever been a mainline Persona title on Nintendo platforms. Unfortunately, there still hasn't been a mainline Persona game that's come to the Switch, though Joker's inclusion likely influenced some people to try out Persona 5 Strikers when it came to the platform. That said, although fans were excited to get Strikers on the Switch, the demand for more Persona games to come to the console has been at an all-time high. Joker coming to Smash has likely onlyhelped the cause.
Building Excitement for Persona 6
Based on how quickly Persona has expanded in popularity, it's safe to say that Persona 6 will be the biggest entry in the series when it eventually releases. However, if there are still several years before its launch, then there's the chance that the series might fall out of mainstream gaming conversations. Thanks to the Persona cameos in other games, though, that doesn't seem like it's going to be the case.
With each new cameo announcement, Persona fever keeps getting more contagious and more new fans are being brought to the series. As newcomers eventually gravitate to all of the recently released titles, they'll be joining the ranks of the diehard fans in their excitement for Persona 6. Although that growing excitement might be putting a lot of pressure on Atlus to deliver a truly impressive new title, the company doesn't need to worry too much, as it's already proven time and time again that it's more than capable. Plus, there are plenty of satisfying ways for Atlus to change up the series so that Persona 6 won't be as directly comparable to Persona 5 as fans might think.
Persona 6 is in development.
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