Atlus as a publisher and developer has made incredible strides over the last decade. What was once viewed as a company focused on a niche market has exploded thanks to blockbuster titles like Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal. With the company's popularity and growth, it continues to expand its games to new platforms yet it has seemingly always overlooked a major one.
Atlus is gauging interest from players about expanding its platform focus. In a recently released survey, the company is checking if Xbox consoles may be worth investing in with ports and future releases.
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Within the Japanese survey on question 55, fans noticed a new addition to the list of platforms mentioned. The survey now features an "Xbox" option, a first in Atlus' long tradition of sending out yearly surveys. In February 2020, Atlus posted a survey focusing on the Switch and PC platforms, similar to how this recently published one explores the possibilities of Xbox.
As for the games mentioned within the survey, those become a bit more interesting for fans of both the Persona and the overarching Shin Megami Tensei franchises. The survey refers to a few possible titles related to Persona, some of which fans have been demanding for years. The biggest one is the mentioned Persona 5 fighting game, likely in the vein of Persona 4 Arena and Arena Ultimax. Alongside this are some some stranger options including Persona themed table top games and even a Strategy RPG. The survey is expansive and is asking for a lot of insight from the Japanese player base including whether or not Atlus should focus on remakes or remasters.
While some players may be quick to dismiss the survey, Atlus has definitely shown an effort in expanding its IPs to new platforms. In 2020, Atlus released Persona 4 Golden on PC, ending what was an eight year long PlayStation Vita exclusive. With Persona 4 Golden's successful launch on Steam with both high sales and positive reception, it makes sense that the publisher is exploring further platform expansion efforts.
The adding of Xbox as part of the Atlus' survey comes at a turning point for the console market in Japan. After many years of being a Sony dominated market, recent decisions by the console manufacturer has placed doubt in its support of the country. The questions surrounding this pivot in audience focus even prompted Sony to confirm its commitment to the Japanese market. Thus, Atlus exploring all options does follow in the concerns both players and developers have.
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Source: Twinfinite, Persona Central