Leaker gives update on Persona 6 and Persona 4 Revival

Persona 6 is not in development hell, a well-known leaker has claimed, dismissing fan concerns stemming from Atlus' years-long silence on the project. The same source also shared new insights on Persona 4 Revivalwhich indirectly highlights the current development status of Persona 6.

The first official recognition of Persona 6 dates back to July 2021, when Atlus posted several job ads on Japanese website Green. Each post included a quote from Naoto Hiraoka, an executive producer at Atlus, stating that the company was hiring additional staff for Persona 6 due to rising fan expectations. “Exceeds [Persona] 5 will be difficult with the current staff,” the quote read, though it did not clarify the project's development status at the time.

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Despite taking a while, Persona 6 is reportedly not in development hell

While Atlus still hasn't revealed Persona 6 four and a half years later, development in the game is believed to be steady. That's suggested by a new update from established leaker NateTheHate, who said on December 12 that the project is not in development hell. The remark was made in response to a concerned fan who referred to a report by the same in May 2023 Persona 6 leaker, who claimed that Atlus was internally targeting a 2024 release. Taken at face value, the implication is that the project has since been delayed, although NateTheHate did not provide further information on what may have caused the shift.

Atlus is not leading the development of Persona 4 Revival, it is claimed

Separately, NateTheHate has also commented Persona 4 Revivalthe remake of Atlus' critically acclaimed 2008 JRPG, which was officially announced in June 2025. The insider clarified that Atlus is not leading development on the project, which has instead been outsourced to Kyoto-based Tose Software. Tose was founded in 1979 and is one of the world's largest outsourcing game developers. According to a November report from Japanese outlet GameBiz, Atlus and Square Enix were Tose's two biggest customers over the past year, accounting for more than 22% of the company's revenue by 2025.

Persona 6 can still beat Persona 4 Revival in the market

The fact that Atlus is only overseeing the upcoming remake is telling Persona 4 Revival does not affect Persona 6 development that some fans initially feared. Instead, its in-house P-Studio – formerly known as Creative Department 2nd Production – can be fully focused on Persona 6 at the end of 2025. Given that the game has been in development since at least 2021, and with modern AAA development cycles averaging around five years, there's still a theoretical possibility that Persona 6 could release before Persona 4 Revival despite the fact that it hasn't even been officially announced yet.

Persona game in original release order

Atlus doesn't always announce games in release order

In recent times, there have been several examples of Atlus announcing a game and then announcing another title that beats the first one to market. Metaphor: ReFantazio was originally revealed as Project Re: Fantasy in December 2016 but not launched until October 2024; in the meantime, Shin Megami Tensei 5 announced and released in January 2017 and November 2021 respectively. Similarly, Persona 5 Royal was both announced (December 2018) and released (March 2020) in the gap between SMT 5s disclosure and eventual launch.

Persona 4 Revival was announced at the June 2025 Xbox Games Showcase without a release window, suggesting it could still be years away from completion. Although it is unclear how far it is Persona 6 is in development, Atlus will soon have a natural opportunity to finally share some details about the project, with the franchise's 30th anniversary in September 2026.

Source: GameBiz