Region Exclusive Persona Game Could Be Getting Global Release

A spin-off of Persona 5 that was originally planned for release only in China could be getting a global release at some point in the future. The game, titled Persona 5: The Phantom X, is currently only available in mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Launching regionally on April 18, 2024, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a free-to-play mobile and PC game the follows the balance of dungeon crawling and social life established in mainline Persona titles. Though it is another entry in the long line of Persona 5 spin-offs that have sprung up after the original game's massive success, the game takes a step away from Joker as the main character, instead having the player control a new student character that they can name, codenamed Wonder. However, like Persona 5, this game continues to encourage the player to build relationships with Confidants in the real world and has them fighting in turn-based Metaverse battles in Palaces and Mementos.

News of the game possibly getting a global release comes through a results presentation report from Sega, released on May 10, 2024. The report's notes on Persona 5: The Phantom X are very brief, but they mention the game's regional launch date, state that the game is «Starting off as expected,» and most importantly for western Persona fans, say that a «Future expansion in Japan and global is under consideration.» Earlier in the year, before the game's launch, there had already been rumors that Persona 5: The Phantom X would be released outside of China as originally planned, and while the open beta was limited to China only, the other four subregions were granted access to the game on the official launch day.

The new main character isn't the only thing setting Persona 5: The Phantom X apart from the game it spawned from. The game also follows a gatcha-based system for acquiring new characters, and its rhythm-based guitar mini-game has garnered positive attention from fans.

Elsewhere in the report, it mentions that Pe