Despite defining and then redefining what the modern Persona series could be, frequent series director Katsura Hashino hasn't been too hands on with the high-schooling, demon-hunting franchise since its last mainline entry in Persona 5 Royal.
After directing Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, and Catherine, Hashino decided to open a new subsidiary within publisher Atlus and alongside P-Studio called Studio Zero, which went on to release the widely-acclaimed Metaphor: Refantazio. But that also means Hashino doesn't have the creative involvement he once did in the Persona series.
"Right now, my juniors – members who have come after me – have taken over the reins and are producing titles for P-Studio," Hashino told Game Informer. "I've been on the sidelines, watching them and looking over them to see what they're doing. In that sense, I haven't been super involved in the Persona series after P5."
Still, P-Studio and Studio Zero exist in the same space, so the RPG maestro isn't completely cut off. "Within the physical office we have at Atlus, the studios that make Shin Megami Tensei, the studio that makes Persona, and us, the studio that makes Metaphor, we're in the same floor environment; there's nothing that separates us," Hashino added. "Even if it is indirectly, it's stimulating for us to see what the other studios within our company are doing. We're not completely separated from a creative standpoint, so rest assured on that front. Of course, we can't really talk about what's coming down the pipeline at this point, but we do have that level of interaction."
Up next for Atlus' blockbuster series is the remade Persona 4: Revival. We still don't have any official word on Persona 6, but next year is the series 30th anniversary...
