Late last month, developer Atlus live-streamed huge announcement: Shin Megami Tensei V, the latest major entry of the acclaimed Japanese role-playing series, is not only on the way, but will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. As one of the genre’s most intriguing franchises and the parent of such offshoots as the internationally-renowned Persona series, there was no doubt that Shin Megami Tensei V would be a flagship title for Atlus in the coming generations. What was unclear, though, was the scope of the game’s release.
While the recent Persona games have hit it big with Western audiences (Persona 5 was only outsold by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in its debut week), not all JRPG series can claim the same widespread popularity. Shin Megami Tensei IV sold around 300,000 copies in North America in its lifetime, which—while not particularly paltry sum—pales in comparison to the sales for a series like Dragon Quest, which still hasn’t ported over its most recent entry (released this past July) for Western audiences yet. As a result, fans began to wonder: is Shin Megami Tensei V actually confirmed for a North American and European release?
Released today, this trailer is simply a translation of the original live-streamed presentation. However, with one small move, Atlus has both bolstered the hopes of the international fan base and put the rest of the Western RPG market on notice. While there’s no mention of whether or not the Japanese release will come first or if the game will be rolled out simultaneously around the world, a couple things are clear. For one, the Switch is about to have a killer RPG to add to its growing library of hits. And second, the name Shin Megami Tensei is ready to take on its spin-off series for the global spotlight.