Although 2021 officially marked the 25th anniversary of Japanese role-playing game seriesPersona,developer Atlus has instead been celebrating in 2022. The delay is thought to be possibly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the year, Atlus has promised announcements including merchandise, events, collaboration, and potentially new reveals regarding the future of thePersonaseries.
Fans have hoped that one of the announcements coming in 2022 could be the long-awaitedPersona 6.It has been over five years since the release of the most recent main series title,Persona 5.Since then, the characters ofPersona 5have returned in two spin-offs: theWarriors-stylePersona 5 Strikersand the rhythm gamePersona 5: Dancing in Starlight.Although both spin-off games performed well, some fans of the series are ready for something new.
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Unfortunately, it looks like the monthly announcement for April will not be the reveal ofPersona 6.Instead, Atlus revealed a collaboration betweenPersonaand Mondahmin, a mouthwash brand that is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. Three flavors of tie-in mouthwash will be released: Strong Mint featuring thePersona 3protagonist, Sensitive featuringYu NarukamifromPersona 4,and Peppermint featuringPersona 5’sJoker. In addition, Mondahmin and Atlus are co-hosting a “Protect Your Oral Health” campaign on Twitter, including a contest in which entrants can win prepaid QUO cards featuring limited-edition designs of thePersonaprotagonists.
The new Mondahmin mouthwash is the latest in a series ofanniversary announcements that fans have found disappointing. These have included other physical merchandise such as clothes and mugs, digital downloadable wallpapers, a Deluxe Edition bundle of the games' soundtracks, and the re-release of fighting game spinoffPersona 4 Arena Ultimaxfor the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam. Despite fans' high hopes, no other ports of mainline games have been announced, although a version ofPersona 5for the Xbox Series X/S orPersona 4for practically any modern console are high on fans' wish lists.
However, the anniversary celebration has been confirmed to be continuing throughout 2022, leaving the possibility open forbiggerPersonareveals later in the year. Some hold out hope and believe that Atlus is simply “building momentum,” speculating that the long-awaited ports or evenPersona 6could be announced closer to the end of the year. If that is indeed the case, Atlus' attempts to create momentum may have failed, as fan excitement for the Mondahmin tie-in mouthwash was low, including several mocking or complaining responses on social media sites.
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