Persona dev says splitting the Atlus team to work on Metaphor: ReFantazio was 'for the better' and will help the studio's future JRPGs stay 'on the right track'

Atlus producer Kazuhisa Wada assures fans that the development of Metaphor: ReFantazio will not hinder the future of the Persona series, and that the studio's internal reforms have actually strengthened the franchise.

As Atlus cracks on with Metaphor: ReFantazio to ensure its smooth release this fall, some are wondering what the new JRPG means for the future of the Persona series - and thankfully, it seems that it's not compromised at all.

Speaking in an interview with GameSpot, Persona producer and P-Studio director Kazuhisa Wada explains why work on Metaphor is beneficial to Atlus' already established series. When the P-Studio team split to allow for the production of both Metaphor and Persona, questions arose among fans regarding the future - would Persona 6 come to fruition one day despite a few of the longtime developers moving on to a new project?

Wada says yes - or at least that Persona is fine, if not better than before. "Many years ago, one of the issues we wanted to resolve as a company was to improve the development capacity of the organization. Fortunately, as of today, very talented young and mid-career people are steadily growing through projects like Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal, so if we are asked about the impact on the future from here on, the answer can only be 'for the better.'"

The producer continues, further detailing his thoughts on the future: "We game developers, myself included, have a number of issues that need to be resolved in response to the lengthy and expanded game development process. I believe that one of the most important things to do is to pass on the spirit of the game to the next generation. One of the most important things is to build an organization that allows that transition to happen naturally."

If anything, the Persona series has actually grown, improving over time. As Wada states, internal reform has helped P-Studio. "In order to develop and maintain a sustainable, high-quality series of titles, I believe that the methodologies of organizational reform and generational change at that time were unavoidable and highly necessary." Atlus can "point to the growth of the Persona series," which is "the best proof we have that we are on the right track."

He urges fans to stay positive about the future and to have "greater expectations" for both the Metaphor devs and those still working on Persona: "We would be very happy and encouraged if you all have even greater expectations of both us and the games we produce in the future, so please keep up the good work." It sounds to me like Persona 6, when it happens eventually, will exceed its predecessors - and I can't wait to play it and Metaphor both.

Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio preview to find out why we're already obsessed.