The Persona series casts a heck of a shadow, so founding Atlus member Kouji "Cozy" Okada, widely known as a godfather to Shin Megami Tensei and branching series including Persona, accepts that his new game, Villion:Code, a school-set action RPG with genome editing baked into its DNA, is going to invite some comparisons. Speaking with GamesRadar+ in a new video interview, Okada says Persona definitely has definitely influenced his work, but so have the many, many other games he's worked on and created.
Before a period of mobile-focused game development, Okada had been making RPGs since the 1980s, dating back to the original Megami Tensei, leading into Persona precursor Shin Megami Tensei If..., and covering the original three Persona games themselves. You don't just shrug off that kind of experience for the sake of being arbitrarily different.
"There is no doubt that Persona influenced this title," Okada says of Villion:Code, which is out January 26, 2027 on PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and Steam. "However, the same can be said of the many other series and standalone games I have worked on throughout my career."
We asked Okada if Persona and Shin Megami Tensei directly influenced his approach to Villion:Code, or if all of these games sit in the same place in his mind. "That is quite a perceptive question," he responds, saying it touches on his overall approach to games.
"This may stray slightly from the question, but although I would not go so far as to call it my personal philosophy, I believe games stand apart from other forms of entertainment because they make the fullest use of interactivity," he explains.
"Players provide input through a controller, for example, and their actions directly change what happens within the game. To make the most of that interactivity, I have always been particular about placing the player in the role of the protagonist, both in my previous titles and in Villion:Code. By asking, 'What would you do?' and allowing the player's decisions and actions to shape what unfolds, I hope to present players with a variety of questions and messages through the experience."
Comparisons to Persona don't necessarily bother Okada, but he stresses the differences between his previous works and Villion:Code. Its action combat system and unusual, tubular, almost vein-like dungeon design immediately stand out.
"There is no doubt that Persona, through both its setting and its overall approach, helped us reach a much broader audience," he recalls. "Villion:Code also ultimately takes place in a school setting. When considering how to create a similarly intimate setting, [we] felt that a familiar, relatable world would work best. We wanted longtime players who had followed my previous work to enjoy it, but as I mentioned earlier, I also especially wanted younger players to experience the game. I hoped to convey a variety of messages through its story and other elements, which is why we chose a school setting.
"That said, our intention was not to create a different version of Persona. The setting was chosen solely because we felt it would communicate the world of Villion:Code most clearly. I understand that players may have their own impressions and comparisons, but personally, I regard the two as fundamentally separate works."
Atlus, meanwhile, is very loudly trying to create new Personas – specifically Persona 6, which will follow the series' latest remake, Persona 4 Revival.
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