Katsura Hashino, director Metaphor: ReFantasy and Persona games at Atlus, wants to create “JRPG 3.0” as the next step in the genre's evolution.
Hashino spoke at the Korean gaming conference G-Star 2025 earlier this month, as reported by 4gamer (and translated Gaming radar). He divided JRPGs into three eras: 1.0 – the era of the past, 2.0 – the era of the current generation, and 3.0 – the era of the future.
JRPG 1.0, according to Hashino, are “true classics,” and while he didn't name any specific examples, it likely means games like the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The genre then evolved into version 2.0 with “its current style feeling higher quality due to how much more responsive it is to the player.”
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Regarding JRPG 3.0, Hashino did not provide any details, but said that he believes “these games will be bigger in scope, and they will change the structure and presentation of the genre on a fundamental level.”
This begs the question: what does this mean for Persona 6?
Lately, Atlus has been looking more to the past for inspiration. Last year the studio released Persona 3: Reload, a remake of the popular third part of the series, as well as a remake Persona 4 currently under development.
There is also a Metaphor: ReFantazio. Yes, it was the start of a completely new franchise for Atlus, but Hashino called it “the culmination of our role-playing games.” to the 35th anniversary of the company. It fully lives up to Hashino's definition of a “JRPG 2.0” as its narrative structure and turn-based combat improve upon what Atlus achieved in its previous games.
That doesn't mean the company hasn't experimented. 2016's Persona 5 proved so popular that it spawned several spin-offs, namely Persona 5: Strikers and Persona 5: Tactica, both of which had different combat systems. There are also Persona 5: Phantom Xthanks to which the series became available on mobile devices.
However, it's unclear how Persona 6 will evolve the series' formula. Very little is known about the game, although Atlus has officially mentioned it several times. In an interview for the 2021 job listing, Atlus director Naoto Hiroaka stated that the studio “will have to create a number 6 that exceeds 5. However, with the current staff, it will be difficult to exceed 5” (thanks). Gaming radar).
Just recently, back in October, Persona 6 was included in a fan poll about the future of the series, and this was the first time its name was officially mentioned (thanks Gamer). Let's hope this is a sign that news is coming.
And while Persona 3: Reload features improved elements taken from Persona 5 (and presumably the Persona 4 remake will do the same), I personally hope that Persona 6 can go further and move away from formulaic conventions like The Velvet Room and stereotypical characters.
What's particularly exciting for the genre is its success this year Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33which follows the typical genre traditions of Japanese role-playing games, but was created by a French studio. It received widespread praise for its turn-based combat that included action prompts, expanding on the RPG elements of Super Mario, Lost Odyssey and Legend of Dragoon.
Creator Guillaume Broche intended create a “large realistic” turn-based AAA gamewho may not have been seen since then Xbox 360 Exclusive: Lost Odyssey.
“It was very overwhelming,” Brosh told Eurogamer of the attention the game received. “I expected turn-based game fans to stand up and say, 'Oh, this looks cool,' but I actually didn't expect this community to be so excited. It's like we woke up a sleeping dragon.”
At the very least, Expedition 33 has increased interest in turn-based JRPGs. Regardless of how Atlus takes the genre forward with Persona 6, the future of JRPGs looks bright.
