Metaphor: ReFantazio's Success Could Give Atlus a Triple Threat Release Strategy

Metaphor: ReFantazio, the fantasy role-playing game from Japanese developer Atlus, was one of the biggest surprise hits of 2024. Despite launching in a year filled with great JRPGs likeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,Persona 3 Reload,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, andGranblue Fantasy: Relink, the game was still able to stand out from the pack and make a name for itself among all the heated competition. Admittedly, there weren’t a lot of people who were skeptical ofMetaphor: ReFantazio’s quality prior to its release, considering it came from the same developers behind the critically-acclaimedPersona 5, but it still managed to exceed many fans' expectations.

After it was launched in October 2024,Metaphor: ReFantazioquickly garnered accolades from across the gaming industry. The game received 90+ scores on review aggregator websites like OpenCritic and Metacritic, and it even earned anomination for the Game of the Year awardat The Game Awards 2024.Metaphordid well from a commercial standpoint, too. It sold a total of 1 million copies worldwide on the same day it came out, thus making it the fastest-selling Atlus game of all time. With how successfulMetaphor: ReFantaziohas been for Atlus, it seems only inevitable that the company will want to capitalize on its popularity by turning it into a tentpole franchise, up there withShin Megami TenseiandPersona.

Metaphor ReFantazio Tag Page Cover Art

Metaphor: ReFantazioCould Join Persona and Shin Megami Tensei on the Atlus Throne

Even though Atlus has been around for nearly 40 years, most of the company’s works haven’t reached mainstream audiences.Games such asTrauma Center,Etrian Odyssey, andGrowlansernever really became household names in the same way thatFinal FantasyandDragon Questdid. In fact, the only Atlus franchises that have cultivated large fanbases are the aforementionedShin Megami TenseiandPersonaseries. There are a total ofnearly 100 games in the two franchises, both of which have received new installments at a near-annual cadence since the 80s.

Personais actually a spin-off of theShin Megami Tenseiseries, so allPersonagames are technicallyShin Megami Tenseigames.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Director Wants to Turn the Game Into a Major Franchise

While it’s hard to imagine Atlus making dozens upon dozens ofMetaphorgames, it’s reasonable to expect that the company will expand the IP at some point with new installments. The director ofMetaphor: ReFantazio, Katsura Hashino, even alluded to this in a recent interview with Famitsu (translated by MP1st), in which he revealed that he already had “a lot of ideas” for a sequel to his latest game. He, however, also admitted that he didn’t have any concrete plans at the moment. Hashino nonetheless added that he’d like todevelopMetaphor: ReFantaziointo a flagship IPfor Atlus.

If Katsura Hashino’s wishes do get granted, then Atlus may one day start alternating between newPersona,Shin Megami Tensei, andMetaphorgames on a regular basis. This would make a lot of sense, given thatthe world ofMetaphor: ReFantaziois already fleshed-out enough to warrant a follow-up, either one that has the same cast as the original game or an entirely new set of characters. Atlus can even makeMetaphor: ReFantaziospin-offs in different genres if it wants to. AMetaphortactical strategy game inspired byTactics OgreandPersona 5 Tacticacould, for instance, be a great way to expand the franchise.

Atlus Fans Will Probably Have Many Persona, SMT, and Metaphor Fans to Look Forward To

Although there hasn’t been any word yet, from official sources or otherwise, on aMetaphor: ReFantaziosequel being greenlit, rumors do suggest that aMetaphorspin-off is in development for mobile phones, which is apparently being created in partnership with Netflix Games. Assuming this game actually exists, it’ll probably take a while for Atlus to officially announce it. Fortunately, players are likely going to have a bunch ofnewShin Megami TenseiandPersonagames to look forward toin the meantime, some of which may finally be unveiled in the coming months.