Persona 5 is getting a mobile spin-off with a new cast of characters
No word on an international release, though.
You're reading that right, Persona 5 is being released again, this time as a mobile and PC game, though it stars a new cast of characters.
If I had a nickel for every time that Persona 5 was released again, I don't even know how many nickels I'd have because it's happened so many times. I do know I'd have another one though, as Persona 5: The Phantom X was just revealed, an adaptation of specifically the fifth entry in the series coming to iOS, Android, and Windows. There is potentially a bit of a catch though, as currently there's no word on a release for the game outside of China.
As reported by IGN, the spin-off will receive a playtest that kicks off March 29 in China, and is apparently a full on sequel to the original game. This time you'll be playing as a new group of Phantom Thieves (sorry to those that love the original crew), and will have "desire" as its main theme. Being a mobile game, it will be free-to-play with in-app purchases, though how those will manifest isn't clear just yet.
Unsurprisingly, you can do all the usual stuff you can in a Persona game: go to class at school during the day, and watch movies or play baseball during the evening. And of course, you'll also be able to infiltrate the Metaverse and various Palaces. Based on some art shown off for the game, the original cast will make some kind of an appearance at some point too.
The game is being developed by Black Wings Game Studio rather than P-Studio itself, but publisher Perfect World Games has said in a press release that Atlus is involved in development, and Persona character designer Shigenori Soejima helped create Phantom X's protagonist.
If you fancy a Persona fix to tide you over until word of an international release comes in, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are available on Game Pass right now, though whether the former holds up is up for debate.