Katsura Hashino, director of Metaphor: ReFantazio and the Persona series at Atlus, shared his vision for the next evolution of Japanese role-playing games during a talk at G-Star 2025. He described JRPG 3.0 as a fundamental shift in the genre's structure and presentation. The comments have sparked speculation about their impact on the anticipated Persona 6.
Event Overview
Katsura Hashino spoke at the Korean gaming conference G-Star 2025 earlier in November 2025, as reported by 4Gamer and translated by GamesRadar. He categorized the JRPG genre into three eras to illustrate its progression.
Defining JRPG Eras
Hashino defined JRPG 1.0 as the 'true classics' from the past, likely referring to foundational titles like the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, though he did not name specifics. JRPG 2.0 represents the current generation, characterized by higher quality and greater responsiveness to player input. For JRPG 3.0, he envisioned games with 'a greater dimension' that would alter the genre's core structure and presentation at a fundamental level, without providing explicit details.
Context and Implications for Atlus
Hashino's comments come amid Atlus's recent projects, including the 2024 release of Metaphor: ReFantazio, which he described as a culmination of the studio's RPG efforts marking its 35th anniversary. This title aligns with JRPG 2.0 through its narrative and turn-based combat. Atlus has also revisited past entries with Persona 3 Reload in 2024 and an ongoing Persona 4 remake.
The studio has experimented beyond traditional formulas, as seen in spin-offs like Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5 Tactica, which introduced action-based systems, and the mobile title Persona 5 The Phantom X.
Persona 6 Speculation
Persona 6 remains shrouded in mystery, with Atlus confirming its development indirectly. In a 2021 job listing interview, director Naoto Hiraoka noted the challenge of surpassing Persona 5 with current staff. More recently, in an October fan survey, Atlus mentioned Persona 6 by name for the first time officially. While remakes like Persona 3 Reload incorporated elements from Persona 5, Hashino's JRPG 3.0 vision raises questions about whether the sequel will innovate further, potentially moving beyond series staples like The Velvet Room.