Persona 5 Release Date Coming Soon? Domain Name Registry Shows Atlus Shin Megami Tensei Series Return, But For Vita, PS3, or PS4?

Fans of the Atlus series Shin Megami Tensei: Persona can rejoice in the news of a recent domain name registry for persona5.jp, signaling the upcoming release of Persona 5.

First discovered by NeoGAF board members, the registry is significant because it is done under Index Corporation, the parents company of developer and publisher Atlus, unlike persona5.com, which appears unaffiliated with either company.

Although rumors of Persona 5 began back in 2009 after the release of Persona 4 for the PS2 in 2008, official confirmation has yet to be made by Atlus of the Shin Megami Tensei series return.

Since Persona 4, several upgraded remakes were released to great acclaim, including Persona 4: The Golden for the PS Vita and PSN. But, should Persona 5 get a release for PS3 or even PS4, it will be the first legitimate current-gen or next-gen game of the series.

However, with the success of Persona 3: The Golden on the Vita, it's possible for Atlus to want to take advantage of the portable platform as the series continues.

According to IGN, 30% of those who purchased The Golden were newcomers to the Persona series.

"We really felt the impact of releasing the game on a mobile platform," says longtime Persona worker Katsura Hashino.

"Let's go ahead and declare it: preliminary preparation for the next numbered title is basically finished, and from here on out development will be going at full speed," continues Hashino, who is rumored to be the director of Persona 5.

Still, the question remains on which platform release Atlus will go with for the next Shin Megami Tensei: Persona release, the possibility of PS4 is even on the table.

Although, given the time it's taken for the production, it is far more likely a PS3, PS Vita, or PS3/Xbox 360 release.