The Phantom X is coming to PC and mobile next month

There’s a new Persona game coming very soon, but sadly it isn’t time for the next mainline entry just yet. Rather, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a spinoff in a similar vein to Persona 5 Strikers. Like that game, The Phantom X is set in the same universe as Atlus’ incredibly successful RPG, Persona 5, but unlike Strikers, this one features a new cast of characters, including a talking owl named Lufel that presumably takes the place of Morgana.

First in 2023, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a free-to-play live service game from Chinese publisher Perfect World, which released the game in open beta in its native country in April last year. It introduces a fresh team of Phantom Thieves and seems to be aiming for the classic Persona blend of high school drama, social interaction and dungeon crawling with impossibly stylish turn-based battles. There’s a new “Synergy” system that develops as you form bonds with NPCs, new mini-games and a PvE mode called The Velvet Trials.

Underpinning the whole experience will be a free-to-play model, the exact nature of which is not yet clear. Time will tell if gacha tactics will get in the way of a good time, and how well the familiar Persona gameplay loop translates to your phone, but the game’s official says it’s intended for both Persona 5 fans and newcomers.

Atlus will be hoping that P5X tides fans over until it has any news on Persona 6. Its most recent release was last year’s , and the studio is currently saying nothing about the follow-up to Persona 5, which launched in its original pre-Royal state way back in 2016. Persona 5: The Phantom X launches June 26 on PC, iOS and Android.