Though the year is almost coming to a close, Japanese game developer and publisher Atlus seems like it is not yet done with the 25th anniversary of the Persona series. Not only has it been partnering with real-life brands, the company has also announced the re-release of the Persona figma figures from Good Smile Company. Now, Atlus is collaborating with another company once again to bring a physical card game to life that based is off of Persona 3, 4, and 5's characters and the Persona found in each game.
Many hardcore fans of the series were likely expecting 2021 to be a big year for the RPG series. However, many were disappointed in the 25th Persona anniversary announcements, as some may have expected the news to center around the mystery of Persona 6. What's more, western fans are likely feeling left out, with most of the marketing campaigns happening in the game's home region of Japan. This includes the recent appearance of Lyn during Tokyo Game Show 2021, the upcoming Persona orchestra concert happening this November 2021 in Tokyo Opera City Hall, and currently open cafe collaborations in Tokyo.
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On the official Japanese Twitter account of the Persona series, the social media team retweeted news about the upcoming Persona VS card game. The physical card game is going to be distributed by Japanese board game brand maker Banso. Using rough translations, Persona VS is a battle card game where players can choose to play as the protagonists of Persona 3, 4, or 5. The Persona in the game will allow the players to attack their opponents, while the popular characters from the Persona series serve as support cards. This allows players to either get buffed up or react to their opponent's moves.
Persona VS is currently available for pre-order, but will only ship out from mid-to-late December 2021. The regular price of the box is at 2,970 yen, or around $27 USD. However, western Persona fans may have trouble getting this item as it is only currently available in Japan. What's more, all of the game's text is in Japanese, which may make it hard for those unfamiliar with the series to actually play the game. However, for hardcore fans of the series, deep knowledge of the large Persona roster and Google Translate may actually be all that they need to enjoy the battle card game.
With no news about an English translation for the battle card game, hardcore Persona fans who choose to purchase the set are likely doing so to add to their merchandise collection. Hopefully Atlus takes pity on its western audience, and starts considering bringing more exclusive items to fans outside of Japan.