Topic: Persona 5 Strikers

With the way Sony is treating Japan with the PS5, I wouldn't be surprised if Atlus reconsidered their PS-exclusivity with upcoming Persona titles.

That said...not always a good idea to hold your breath on these things.

@GameOtaku There's more to games than just their genre like how Mario Kart 8 is more likely to appeal to Mario Odyssey players but Burnout wouldn't appeal as much even though Mario Kart and Burnout are both racers. Catherine has a lot of cross over appeal with Persona players.

I don't think Catherine sales would dictate the chances of a Persona port myself though.

@GameOtaku SMT actually doesn't just have one mainline game on Sony consoles

Nocturne is just the only one to debut on PlayStation but the PS1 got ports of both previous SMT games & SMT If (which directly inspired the first Persona game) since starting with the 5th gen Atlus put out most of if not all their content on Sony platforms and not just Persona

During the 6th gen the bulk of Atlus' content was PS2 exclusive, and this was likely because of how meager the install base of the GameCube was. The thing with this is that SMT has flip flopped back and forth between multiple platform holders as a result of its rocky sales history. They started on Nintendo, switched to SEGA and Sony, then once SEGA went out they tried Microsoft and that didn't work at all so they mostly stuck with Sony until the late 2000's where they returned to being Nintendo exclusive. Persona does not have this kind of problem that SMT did since the games actually did really well while being confined to just PlayStation, so they don't feel the need to branch out to more platforms

If Persona's sales history was remotely as inconsistent as the rest of MegaTen was then undoubtedly it would've already been on more platforms as Atlus would want to experiment with which console would constitute a larger audience, but Persona 2 Eternal Punishment made Atlus a notable name in the West while Persona 3 and 4 established a strong Western following for the series and Persona 5 made the series a major name in the genre and exposed more people to Atlus as a company as a whole. It's the single most critically and financially successful series in the Megami Tensei franchise while its main entries are still not found on Xbox or Nintendo systems, so they're doing just fine. It's why Persona is still predominantly on PlayStation while SMT moved back to Nintendo

And on the subject of Catherine that game specifically happened because of the Japanese consumer surveys as did SMT Nocturne, so right there that should prove the demand for Persona specifically is really only confined to English speakers and it's not nearly as much of a worldwide thing for Atlus to really prioritize it over something like Shin Megami Tensei V or just more SMT games in general

You can bet on all future Persona games are coming to Switch. Nintendo has a death grip on the gaming market in Japan, it would be foolish not to.

Then again, it is Atlus.

@Vargbrand I very much agree, though it'll mean they'll have to be optimised to hell and back for Switch, meaning it might be compromised artistically. Then again, Persona 5 was also a PS3 game so I doubt it's completely impossible to port that to Switch. Game size would be the problem, P5R was about 38GB on PS4, so would need some compromises graphically.

Having said that Catherine was doable, but that was a smaller game even on PS4 (12GB).

@TheJGG Persona isn't a huge techy game, the only reaon it's 38GB is because of the 4K assets for PS Pro. A game as bright and clean as this would still look good on the Switch. Persona 5 normal was less than 20GB if I remember correctly.

@jump Yeah, because it was able to run on PS3 I doubt it'll be impossible to port it to Switch. Maybe one of those cases like technical tricks, with DOOM Eternal. I already beat the game on PS4 but I'd consider getting it for Switch.

@Vargbrand Even if Switch is the most popular right now Persona also never really had a bad sales history by being confined to PlayStation so that probably matters more to Atlus at this point than which console ended up being more popular

Like it would do well on Switch if it happened but Persona has continued to sell well on Sony's consoles and that hasn't changed at all. The only thing that would raise concern about Persona's longevity on that platform is if Persona just starts tanking on PlayStation, but now it's pretty much a big series worldwide where I doubt that's going to be the case

It's been on PlayStation long enough where more people are likely to buy consoles for it considering it's become a pretty synonymous franchise with that platform and brand even if it's third party, just like Metal Gear and even Final Fantasy did

@TheFrenchiestFry
I’m sorry if demand is there for a third party game the logical business sense thing to do is port the game. Atlus has on the switch advertised Persona on every title it’s brought over (costumes in TMS, Music in Catherine, Joker in Smash and now P5S a sequel to a game that isn’t on the console that’s been referenced over and over on non persona releases). If SMT can flip flop between various consoles then I see no harm at all in porting one game to switch. More people that can play a game the more money they stand to make. I’m going to get both SMT releases so a mainline persona game on switch is pretty much a given that I would buy.

@GameOtaku SMT only switched between consoles because there were periods in time where certain systems weren't selling the games as well as Atlus hoped. Comparing Switch getting Persona to PlayStation getting SMT in the late 90's is a super apples and oranges comparison

SMT ended up on PlayStation for 2 straight generations because both the N64 and GameCube weren't viable, while they returned to Nintendo not on home consoles, but on handhelds because the DS and 3DS were both successful

Persona has been a monolith of a franchise on PlayStation for pretty much its entire duration and based on the current consensus coming off of the consumer surveys which have been big indicators in what they make in the future, the demand for Persona on Switch, regardless of how much they put it in other games (and Catherine doesn't even count because Joker was already DLC on the PS4/Vita), the demand for those games is coming from a very specific minority compared to the consensus on other titles

If Persona on Switch was more unanimous of a consumer response worldwide then P5 would've already gotten a port, but not only has that not been the case, but P5R still did really well despite being only on PS4, while Catherine and SMT Nocturne got re-releases instead. That pretty much confirms that despite the minority being vocal, the actual demand for Persona jumping platforms is still super minor. Even despite the lack of P5 on PC Strikers still did way better on it than it did on Switch so that right there should be the indicator

@TheFrenchiestFry
It’s no surprise sales of strikers fared better on Sony since they have the original game. PC and Switch owners have no real connection to the series. PC has Golden so I don’t think a one off release of 5/R would harm anything.

@GameOtaku Still. PC doesn't (officially) have the specific game Strikers is following up on and it still is doing really well on that particular platform while Switch, which also doesn't have Persona 5, is somehow doing considerably worse than PC despite both being in the same ballpark

It's true that PC already having a numbered Persona game probably drastically increased the playerbase on that version of the game but PC is still without an official means of playing either Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal, which Strikers is specifically a direct follow up on so the gap between it and PS4 should've logically been way larger in terms of sales, except both versions are doing pretty well on their respective platforms but strangely Switch hasn't even managed to be charted anywhere I've looked for official data

It seems the PC community is doing the polar opposite of most Switch owners and actually buying the game to support Atlus so they'd get more stuff, and now SMT Nocturne is supposedly coming to PC as well. Refusing to buy a game because another game isn't on that same platform coincidentally has the polar opposite effect some people think it will have

@TheFrenchiestFry
On pc though there are unofficial means of playing it. I can see Persona selling rather well on Switch as the port of 4G to PC has proven that it can do well outside of Sony. Let’s not forget Sega/Atlus are a third party developer. They don’t owe Sony anything and are free to release their games on whatever platforms they want. I don’t have Sony’s system and I don’t plan to either. In fact I believe it would do even better as a multiplat series including PC (goes for SMT as well, a timed switch exclusive then ported everywhere else). More players having access to their games is never going to be a bad idea.

@GameOtaku There are unofficial means of playing it but the people who emulated Persona 5 are probably in the vast minority considering you need an even beefier configuration for the game to run properly as opposed to stuff like emulation for 6th gen games and under

SEGA and Atlus are ultimately the people to make the call on this sort of stuff but it's already been about 2 years since Joker ended up in Smash and it still hasn't happened. It took Cloud a little under that time for his game of origin to show up a Nintendo system yet 2 years and counting and Persona 5 is still only available on PlayStation systems as is a good chunk of Persona games in general. P4G may have proven that more people are willing to buy their stuff outside the platforms they were originally developed on but looking at Switch specifically the ports they have released have not been doing the numbers Persona 4 Golden on PC was able to accomplish from what I've seen. Full Body did fine but that's really as well as it's done. Just ok, and I doubt Tokyo Mirage Sessions did that much better because despite being a Nintendo published game its audience is considerably more niche than most of their exclusives library, in addition to the game generally being divisive among fans for how it handled the integration of Fire Emblem into SMT's mechanics and world

My prediction is that this year is the last possible chance they could have to announce anything mainline related on Switch considering it's the 25th anniversary. If this year ends and all there is are PC ports or Persona 6 only being on PS5 then it's safe to assume Atlus just doesn't want the status quo to change, and that Persona will stay on PlayStation while SMT is only on Nintendo. In fact I think SMT V is partially Switch exclusive because Nintendo might've funded the localization efforts to get the game released worldwide at the same time, which is a complete first for any Atlus game

Persona 5 isn't coming to Switch. That's even truer now that the Switch version of Strikers laid an egg compared to PC/PS4.

If Nocturne/SMT5 underperform on Switch as well, I could see them dialing back Switch support drastically going forward in favor of PC/PS4, which would be tragic. Atlus NEEDS a hit on Switch.

@Ralizah
Wouldn’t it make more sense to port P5 and have the SMT games as well? The reason sales of strikers were low on switch is mostly due to not having a mainline persona game on the platform. Not many want to buy a sequel spin-off when they have no point of reference.

@TheFrenchiestFry
TMS was more divisive due to its unnecessary censorship when it first came west then made all regions the butchered version for the switch release.

@GameOtaku I don't see why having a different mainline Persona game on Switch would help P5 Strikers sales.

@Ralizah
Having P5 in the pipeline on switch at least would’ve helped it’s sales. Without any point of reference it was doomed to underperform vs the console the original is on.

@GameOtaku It's not underperforming on PC. The original isn't on PC.

I mean, I don't disagree, but it's not as simple as "it was always going to underperform without the first game on the system."

Frankly, seeing Strikers' sales, I imagine Atlus is rather glad it didn't gamble on jeopardizing its cozy relationship with Sony by porting Persona 5.

But Sony won't care about the game going to PC either way, and that platform is turning Strikers into a best-seller.

So, you know, when Persona 6 is a PC/PS5 release, don't be surprised.

@GameOtaku It's really not as simple as "if the original game isn't on said platform the sales would've helped"

Like it's true there might be more PC-only folk getting into the game if they had an official means of playing Persona 5 but not only is P5S doing extremely well on PC but it's still in the global top sellers list on Steam without any sign of the previous game or Royal. Meanwhile the Switch version, under a similar predicament has literally failed to chart anywhere, including the official numbers put out by Nintendo for the eShop in regions like Europe

If that isn't an indicator of how much of a minority the Switch folk are in I don't know what is

Also the censorship thing was a controversy on top of people already being turned off by Tokyo Mirage Sessions being Tokyo Mirage Sessions and not the SMT'/Fire Emblem game people actually thought would happen