SEGA confirms that it is looking to produce TV and movie adaptations of ATLUS franchises, the most prominent being Persona. The announcement comes after a slew of other statements bringing its most prominent titles – Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal – to PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Toru Nakahara, SEGA head of entertainment productions for film and TV, said:
"Atlus' worlds are filled with high drama, cutting-edge style and compelling characters. Stories like those from the Persona franchise really resonate with our fans and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no one has seen — or played — before."
"Together, Sega and Atlus, are working to bring these stories and worlds to life through new mediums and for new audiences."
Persona, which itself started out as a spin-off of the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series from ATLUS, is one of the most popular franchises under the banner. It’s worth noting that any plans by SEGA to adapt the games are not the first foray into the visual medium. Persona 3, 4, and 5 all received anime adaptations with A-1 Pictures, best known today for its work on Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, handling the Persona 4: The Golden Animation and Persona 5: The Animation series.
That said, the live-action territory is a different beast entirely from anime adaptations. SEGA may be basing its move with ATLUS on the recent hit success of the two Sonic movies released in the last two years. Sonic the Hedgehog, released in 2020, grossed $319.7 million worldwide after a less than stellar reveal, becoming one of the most successful video game adaptations of all time. This was followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was released earlier this year to better critical reception and to the tune of $401 million, with a sequel and a Knuckles spin-off also in the works.
Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are up for re-releases in the future. Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 are coming to Xbox and Switch, Persona 3 and Persona 5 to PC, and Persona 3 and Persona 4 to PlayStation.
