ReFantazio Would Be Perfect for Xbox Game Pass on Launch

Atlus is in a position to have another big year in 2024 with Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio confirmed for release this year. While Persona 3 Reload is sure to be a huge success for the developer given the popularity of the Persona series, a new IP like Metaphor: ReFantazio might be more of an unknown when it comes to sales and reception. As such, Metaphor: ReFantazio seems like it could greatly benefit from launching day one on Xbox Game Pass and joining the ranks of the other JRPGs that have found an audience on the service.

Xbox Game Pass has been a great way for subscribers to check out new releases and older classics that they might not have otherwise discovered, since the service hosts a wide variety of game types, from indie to AAA, across all kinds of genres. Games that launch day one on Game Pass also have the benefit of getting more eyes on them, since subscribers can check out a brand-new release without the risk of paying for a full-price game they might not enjoy. With Atlus’ track record for bringing their games to the service, Metaphor: ReFantazio launching on Xbox Game Pass seems like a smart move.

While Atlus is a big name among JRPG fans, being the developer behind series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new IP and might not have the same recognizability as those other series. To give the game the best chance to find a new audience, launching it on Xbox Game Pass could give players who wouldn’t normally buy it on release day a better reason to check it out. If Atlus plans to make Metaphor: ReFantazio into its own series, getting the game in front of a large player base like Xbox Game Pass subscribers could be the push the game needs.

Xbox Game Pass has already developed a reputation for being home to many popular JRPGs from across the genre, with titles like Sea of Stars and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, as well as other Atlus games, available on the service. Historically, Xbox hasn’t been the console most associated with JRPGs, but Microsoft has started changing that image in recent years. With Xbox becoming much more hospitable to the genre as time goes on, it would make sense for Xbox Game Pass to try and secure a new title from a popular developer like Atlus for a day-one launch on the service.

Atlus Already has a Strong Partnership with Xbox

As Xbox continues to make JRPGs more accessible to its players, Atlus has developed a deep partnership with the company, bringing many of their titles to the platform and working with Xbox to deliver exclusive reveals. Titles like the Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden were much-needed additions to the Game Pass library since they are considered some of the best games in the JRPG genre. While Persona 5 Royal also came to Xbox Game Pass when it became multiplatform, it has since left the service in an unfortunate blow to JRPG fans, with Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden soon to follow.

Adding Metaphor: ReFantazio to the service could help make up for the loss of these titles while also giving the game more exposure. Atlus has already worked with Xbox for the game’s reveal, making its debut at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2023 alongside their other title, Persona 3 Reload, which is already confirmed to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. It would only be fitting that Metaphor: ReFantazio also launches on Game Pass after this reveal, and the continued partnership between these two companies makes it seem likely that this will be the case.

Persona 3 Reload

Released

February 2, 2024

Developer(s)

P-Studio

Genre(s)

JRPG

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence