New Atlus Interview Vaguely Implies Currently Unknown Title in the Works; Perhaps Etrian Odyssey?

Japanese outlet denfaminicogamer recently interviewed the development members of the Atlus-developed turn-based JRPG, Soul Hackers 2, and the Bandai Namco-developed action JRPG Tales of Arise.

Atlus producers Eiji Ishida and Mitsuru Hirata discussed many intriguing topics. Thanks to Persona Central, as they translated the significant information pertaining to Atlus. The negative reception to Soul Hackers 2 is a central conversation brought up here. The team has been taking feedback seriously, with the latest significant patch resulting from those voices.

For those unaware, Soul Hackers 2’s latest update implemented several requested additions, such as field dashing, quickened battles, and other adjustments.

However, another worthwhile topic worth perusing is a passage stated by Hirata, quoted below:

“It’s true that it’s been 25 years since the last “Soul Hackers” title, but in the grand scheme of things, this game is a continuation of the “Shin Megami Tensei” series, or “MegaTen,” so I didn’t really feel that it had been the first time in 25 years.

Right next to my desk in the office, Shin Megami Tensei V was being developed, all while another title was being developed on the other side. I was very conscious of how to position myself in such a situation.”

As Persona Central notes, there is an untitled third game mentioned here other than Soul Hackers 2 and Shin Megami Tensei V. By the way, we’re entering into speculation mode here, so just keep that in mind. So, assuming that Hirata is referring to games made by Creative Department 1st Production, that can throw Persona projects out of consideration since those are developed by Creative Department 2nd Production (P-Studio).

With this being the case, the immediate candidate that comes to mind for this third game is a brand-new entry in the Etrian Odyssey franchise. Of course, we obviously know nothing yet, but it’s a nice bit of hope to chew on. The series has felt incredibly dormant recently, so seeing it resurge would be pretty awesome.