Atlus' success is built on a dense knot of interconnected franchises.Personamay be its star now, but it’s only one of many offshoots fromShin Megami Tensei,which has spawned many franchises that currently lie dormant as Atlus focuses on other projects.Devil Summoner: Soul Hackerswas one such offshoot, and considering how old it is, nobody expected Atlus to announce a sequel. That’s why it was a surprise when Atlus released a teaser for some newSoul Hackers-related project, later confirming thatSoul Hackers 2is in development and will release in about half a year.
The announcement ofSoul Hackers 2is shocking, asDevil Summoner: Soul Hackersturns 25 years old in late 2022.. Even though it appeared on the 3DS in 2013, it’s far from a currentMegami Tenseigame. RevivingSoul Hackersafter all this time suggests Atlus may be interested in revisiting some of its other dormantMegami Tenseigames now that its fanbase has expanded significantly thanks toPersona.Soul Hackers 2is exciting on its own, but it may just be the first in a series of franchise revivals.
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Dormant Megami Tensei Franchises
There’s quite a few differentMegami Tenseigames that deserve revival, but some stand out in particular. For instance, there’s theShin Megami Tensei:Devil Survivorseries that saw a brief life onthe Nintendo DS and 3DS. While the coreShin Megami Tenseiseries is composed of turn-based JRPGs,Devil Survivoris a grid-based tactical RPG. Players manage multiple squads of humans and demons in combat and try to complete various mission objectives.Devil Survivor’s unique tactical identity makes it more than worthy of a revival in the same vein asSoul Hackers.
Atlus could also take a second look at theDevil Childrenseries from the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance era. Also known asDemiKids,theDevil Childrenfranchise took a more lighthearted approach to theMegami Tenseimodel. As young half-demons, players commanded demons in battle, butDevil Children’s demons were generally cuter than mostMegami Tenseifare. The games often released in pairs, leading to a morePokemon-styled experience.Pokemonhas plenty of imitators, so Atlus could consider jumping on the craze by givingDevil Childrena second chance.
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A More Experimental Atlus
Aside from reviving these former core franchises, Atlus could also take a second pass at some its more experimental games. For instance, some fans might remember the Wii U’sTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE,Atlus’Shin Megami Tenseicrossover withIntelligent Systems’Fire Emblemseries.Tokyo Mirage Sessionshas shown some signs of life in recent history thanks to its expandedEncoreversion for the Switch, but about six years since its original release there’s no sign of a sequel. Now thatPersonahas expanded its influence, Atlus should consider trying to make anotherTokyo Mirage Sessionsgame, potentially crossing over with a different franchise.
The bottom line is that Atlus should be bold now thatPersona 5’s family of gameshave made it so more famous. It has tons of franchises and subseries with potential; they just need a little faith from Atlus itself. Thankfully,Soul Hackers 2getting announced with a simultaneous international release date on multiple consoles is a wonderful display of confidence. Atlus is clearly excited aboutSoul Hackers 2and thinks the game can be another big hit. Hopefully Atlus holds onto that sense of ambition and uses it to revive more franchises in the coming years.
Soul Hackers 2releases June 07, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
