JRPG fans are eating good - as if Metaphor: ReFantazio wasn't enough, another Persona 5 spin-off seems to be getting a Steam release soon

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A mysterious playtest has emerged

Persona 5: The Phantom X
(Image credit: Black Wings Game Studio)

The new Persona 5 mobile spin-off has landed on Steam in the form of an early playtest, but only with a mysterious placeholder page so far - and when it does go up, it'll likely be locked to Japanese clients only for now.

Following the recent success of Atlus' monumental Metaphor: ReFantazio release, fans are chomping at the bit for more of the developers' JRPGs - and while Persona 5: The Phantom X is a spin-off from Black Wings Game Studio, it features fan-favorite elements of the Persona series nonetheless with some gacha flair mixed in. It might not be Metaphor, but it's something - and interested Japanese players can likely dive in soon.

Just last month, developers revealed in a post that the game would no longer be exclusive to China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan - it would be available to Japanese fans as well, on both Steam and mobile platforms. Sure enough, a mysterious Steam page has now appeared for a Phantom X playtest. The beta doesn't seem to be accessible just yet, however, as the listing looks like it's only a placeholder that redirects interested users.

There's no telling when the listing on Steam will truly go live as of now, but fans are already taking to the "Discussions" tab with their thoughts. "What in the world is this," asks one such curious commenter. Another quotes lyrics from some of the Persona series' past games while dubbing the playtest "Peaksona." As a longtime fan of Atlus' JRPG gems myself, I'm just hopeful the spin-off will make its way overseas one day - but until then, I'll watch from afar.

Need even more to look forward to? Here are other new games coming this year and beyond.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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