Katsura Hashino, known for directing Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5, is departing the team for a new internal branch at Atlus called Studio Zero. In a recent message, he confirmed he will leave the future of Persona as a series to his successors.
After working on Persona for close to a decade, as well as other major entries in the overall Shin Megami Tensei franchise going back to 1994, Hashino is ready to move on to new projects.
Under the direction of Hashino, the first Persona title he directed took the series on a path of revitalization, establishing so many of the conventions and mechanics that fans have come to appreciate since.
Studio Zero, Hashino’s new home, is responsible for Catherine: Full Body (2019), the enhanced version of the original 2011 puzzle classic, and the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024).
Due to this shift in leadership as well as the confirmed departure of additional creatives such as Shoji Meguro, series composer, and Shigenori Soejima, character designer, many fans have questioned what this means for Persona 6.
According to a post from Persona Central, project manager Naoto Hiraoka stated in an interview that Atlus strongly desires Persona 6 to top Persona 5. Furthermore, the company is hiring new talent for P-Studio to achieve this very purpose.
Unfortunately, the hurdles to overcome [in game development] increase every year.
Thanks to the large amount of support we received for “Persona 5,” we have gotten a sense of accomplishment. But we can’t stop there. When we created “Persona 4,” there was pressure that it had to exceed “Persona 3.” Now, we will have to create a “6” which exceeds “5.” However, exceeding “5” will be difficult with the current staff. I would like to surpass this tall hurdle with everyone who joins us in this recruitment. The workplace is perfect for those who want a creative challenge when it comes to bringing games to the world.
Naoto Hiraoka
The good news is that the majority of the directors, producers, and designers that moved on from P-Studio after the release of Persona 5 have remained within Atlus as a company, and are simply working on new projects.