Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and Catherine are just a few of the Atlus titles that Sega wants to convert into live-action movies.

According to a Sega statement, the company is considering live-action remakes of several Atlus gaming titles, including the Persona, Catherine, and Shin Megami Tensei series. With numerous TV and movie ideas already being investigated across various studios and producers, the publisher wants to collaborate with Atlus to “extend the lore” of these games.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Prime’s chief producer, Toru Nakahara, stated the following in an interview with IGN: “Atlus’ worlds are filled with high drama, cutting-edge style and compelling characters. Stories like those from the Persona franchise really resonate with our fans and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no one has seen – or played – before.”

According to Nakahara, Sega is currently collaborating with Atlus to introduce these games to new audiences, and they are already in discussions with several production companies to make it happen. Given that Sega aims to “extend the lore” of the games, these adaptations might not be a direct live-action retelling of the games. Instead, we might get to witness sequels or spin-offs set in the same world as Atlus’ games.

This immediately strikes me as a poor decision. Persona games by Atlus are highly stylized RPGs with large casts of characters and extensive storylines that typically require more than 80 hours to complete. Since the majority of these games conclude with enormous boss battles in which the fate of the world is at risk, it seems hard to capture all of the attractions of the games in a single film or television program. Not exactly the stuff that makes up network television.

We can only hope that the next adaptations can live up to how much Atlus’ games rely on compelling characters and tragic stories. The Persona titles will initially be released in November for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox/PlayStation consoles, just in time for a replay session.