Thanks to rumors of an announcement before the end of this year, Persona 6 is facing more anticipation than ever. Even if these rumors remain reputable, Persona likely won't be receiving its next mainline game for at least a couple of years. If series tradition is any indication, there are plenty of spin-off series that could fill the gap, and a potential Persona Q3 would be the perfect way to signal the end of an era.
Persona Q certainly has its fair share of factors counting against it, but its standout features make now a more perfect time than ever. Contrary to its counterparts, Persona Q focuses on uniting the casts of multiple Persona games into one grand adventure while maintaining RPG elements native to the mainline series. This factor alone makes Persona Q3 a perfect last hurrah before Persona 6.
Persona Q3 Release Could Pave the Way for Persona 6
Persona Q3 is a Worthy Successor to Persona 3 Reload
Persona is certainly eager to embrace its deep grab bag of spin-offs whenever there is a waiting period between mainline games. Persona Q2 was one of many Persona 5 spin-offs that welcomed a more general audience to the series at large. However, the series now finds itself in a waiting period between Persona 3 Reload and Persona 6, with no other releases in sight.
While other options may seem ideal at a glance, Persona Q3 is much more up to the challenge of linking the two games together. After all, the next Persona spin-off won't just tide fans over until Persona 6; it will serve as a follow-up to Persona 3 Reload as well. Persona Q3 has the opportunity to make the most of Persona 3 Reload's best improvements, while giving other generations of characters a proper send off.
For one, Persona 3 Reload featured an entirely new voice cast in order to make the remake feel as fresh as possible. Persona Q3 would offer another outing for these performers after they missed the window for games like Persona 3 Dancing: Dancing in Moonlight. More importantly, now that the cast of Persona 3 are featured in the most recent and accessible game in the series, these characters are at the height of their popularity. Persona Q3 could keep Persona 3's cast in the spotlight, and potentially even foreshadow Persona 6 characters.
Persona Q Could be Facing an Uphill Battle
Not all Persona spin-offs are created equal, and Persona Q is certainly on the obscure side. Despite riding the coattails of Persona 5, Persona Q2 saw lackluster sales compared to its predecessor. Although Atlus may consider Persona Q a risk that is no longer worth taking, the spin-off sequel's reception is hardly the fault of its own design.
Persona Q2 was one of the final games released for the 3DS, while the Nintendo Switch was already overshadowing its handheld predecessor. If it had been feasible to develop a port and delay Persona Q2's release by several months, the potential success of the game could have been a very different story. After all, handheld systems have done more than undercut the sales of Persona Q.
Although Persona Q adopts RPG combat and dungeons resembling the main series, these mechanics were necessarily watered down to accommodate the intended hardware. Consoles have gained a lot of power since the 3DS, and Persona has stronger ties to the Nintendo Switch than ever before. Persona Q3 could take advantage of this dynamic to raise the fidelity of its visuals and the depth of its gameplay.
Persona Q3 is Not the Only Option for Potential Persona Spin-Offs
Perhaps the biggest roadblock standing in the way of Persona Q3 is its competition, yet the game comes out on top even in that regard. While Persona 4 Arena Ultimax also prioritized a crossover between multiple games, any successor to the fighting game spin-off seems very unlikely at this time. If Persona Q3 isn't in consideration to begin with, it's more likely Atlus would take a new approach entirely.
Although Atlus may focus on Metaphor: ReFantazio instead, Persona still has room to debut a brand-new series. In fact, there's a recent precedent for that thanks to titles like Persona 5 Tactica. However, when compared to other spin-offs that have been more firmly established, Persona Q3 is evidently the best way to feed players' appetites until Persona 6.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
- Released
- June 4, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a spin-off of the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise, and a sequel to Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- P-Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver, Sega
- Franchise
- Persona
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
