In the wake of Atlus parent company Index Corporation’s bankruptcy and subsequent worries about games-in-progress, Atlus Japan previously reached out to reassure fans that "the development and sales of the Atlus brand as well as the consumer business will continue."
That’s all well and good (and this matter didn’t impede the release of Dragon’s Crown), but we’ve yet to see hide or hair of Persona 5, the long-awaited followup to the very best game on PlayStation Vita. Again, it seems fans can rest easy–the games Atlus is currently developing, of which Persona 5 is a confirmed member, are coming along swimmingly.
That’s according to Katsura Hashino, the game director on Persona 3 and Persona 4, and the closest thing to divine authority for fans in need of a Social Link fix. Dualshockers translated a blog post Hashino published to comment on the upcoming Persona Music FES 2013:
"I’m sorry for the concerns caused by the recent circumstances, and I apologize. Next year is set to bring many announcements as part of the 25th anniversary of the Atlus brand, but there are a few things I’d like to share before that. All the unannounced titles we are working on are ‘under zealous development.’ The challenge, for the time being, is how good they will be. We have spent days full of problems and worries, but we work strenuously so that it doesn’t break our focus."
". . . as long as we continue to think about you that love our games, about the creativity, the know-how accumulated, the challenges and the expectation of results, I believe that the future of the series will be something great, full of fun and stimulating."
Wonky translation aside, it’s abundantly clear what Hashino is saying: Persona 5 is doing just fine, and we’ll hear something about in 2014, or even later this year. That’s a very good thing, but it makes me wonder–where will I be, and what will I be doing, when Persona 5 gets announced and my joyous tears commence?
Kyle Prahl is a PSU Managing Editor and Communications student. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.