2026 is the 30th anniversary of Pokemon and Persona, but I'm prepared to be disappointed by one of them

It's safe to say that 30 years later, both franchises are titans of the industry, despite looking very different from how they did when they debuted. I'm sure both Atlus and The Pokemon Company have a lot planned to celebrate such a momentous anniversary in 2026, but I'm more confident about one franchise's show than I am the other. Pokémon is able to launch its 10th generation of games, but a new main line Persona the game still feels like a dream, even as a 30th anniversary.

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Say goodbye to Pokemon Gen 10, Legends Galar Leaks 2026

You will have to say goodbye to leaks regarding the Pokemon Gen 10 and Legends Galar game in 2026 for a rather unexpected reason.

Pokemon and Persona both turn 30 in 2026

As it turns out, 1996 was a big year for JRPGs with both originals Pokemon red and green and Revelations: Persona only releasing every few months. Even if Pokémon would not be released in North America until 1998 (as Pokemon Red and Blue), the original Personas Western release was just a few months after its Japanese debut. Despite this two-year gap between its Japanese and Western releases, Pokémons anniversary is still celebrated on February 27, usually with a Pokemon Day Direct, and this year seems no different.

The future of the Pokemon series in 2026 seems bright

The Pokémon the series has historically been much more consistent with its games and how it releases information related to them than Persona. As someone who's been with the series for decades at this point, I've gotten pretty used to the annual release cycle of Pokémon series. Last year's though Pokemon Legends: ZA was the first main line Pokémon game since 2022 Pokemon Scarlet and Violetthe franchise has been fairly consistent with annual releases for the better part of a decade. With this in mind, I'm pretty sure we'll see a Pokemon Direct in February with information on the next main generation of games likely to be released later this year.

Image via The Pokemon Company

Pokemon Gen 10 leaks reveal wild new direction for series, likely 2026 release

Releasing Gen 10 for Pokémon the series' 30th anniversary makes perfect sense; it's a monumental occasion on both ends, so The Pokémon Company will likely want to go all out. The massive TeraLeak of Pokémon documents last year revealed some of the plans for these games, allegedly titled Pokemon wind and wavesand takes place in an island-based region modeled after Indonesia. The leaked feature I'm most interested in is the supposed procedurally generated islands that players will be able to explore. I imagine something similar No Man's Sky but for islands, which can be a total game changer for post-game exploration i Pokémon series.

Even without a firm confirmation of that Pokémon Gen 10 is coming in 2026, there are already some revolutionary ones Pokémon games planned for release in the coming year. Pokemon Pokopia is first on the list, a spin-off game where players take on the role of a ditto to help other mons build a thriving community with a cozy, life-sim feel. As a competitive Pokémon damn, i'm most excited about Pokemon championwhich is expected to be an official battle simulator game playable on Switch, Switch 2 and mobile devices. Both of these games would take the series into uncharted territory, and the confirmation of Gen 10 would cap off an exciting 30th anniversary for fans like myself.

Persona's 2026 plans are a wild card

While Persona series seems to have several projects in the works at the moment, official information about them is very scarce. Unlike Pokémonthe Persona series don't tend to share information consistently, making it difficult to predict when fans can expect to hear updates about projects in the works. Sega has announced that they plan to release Persona content annually, with Persona 3 Reload and the mobile spin-off Persona 5: The Phantom X released in the last 2 years. However, it's unclear what the franchise has in store for 2026, and I'm starting to temper my expectations to avoid disappointment.

Persona 4 Revival seems too far away for a 2026 release

The one Persona game confirmed to be in development is a remake of Personas 4with the title Persona 4 Revival. The game was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 last summer, but it was only a short teaser with little gameplay shown or a release window given. Persona 4 Revival also received some criticism for the rough state of the game in its reveal trailer, suggesting that the game is still in early development and won't be released for a few more years. This makes it unlikely Persona 4 Revival will be the franchise's 2026 release.

I don't expect to see Persona 6 anytime soon

Apart from P4Rthe elephant in the room with Persona series is the place for Persona 6. 2026 will be a full decade since then Persona 5 was released, without seeing any sequel. Many fans were waiting Persona 6 to get an official reveal during the franchise's 25th anniversary as early as 2021, and it's very likely that 2026 could come and go without hiding or hair of the game. There have been many leaks and rumors around Persona 6 over the years, from a dual protagonist story to an art school, but nothing concrete has been confirmed for the game.

As Pokémon Gen 10, the 30th anniversary of Persona franchise would be the perfect opportunity to reveal the next entry in the series. But the avenues for this reveal are slim, with the most likely event being either an Xbox showcase or Summer Game Fest 2026. The more time that passes without a Persona 6 announcement, the less confident I am that we'll ever see the game. For that reason, I'm not going to hold my breath Persona 6 in 2026, and it will be a pleasant surprise if it ends up being announced this year.

System

Released

16 October 2025

ESRB

All 10+ / Fantasy violence, in-game purchase

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