The world of JRPGs is undergoing profound changes, and for Katsura Hashino, the creator of Persona 3, 4, 5, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, evolution has a name: JRPG 3.0.
At the G-Star/G-Con 2025 conference in Korea, the Atlus director explained that the genre has passed the phase of classic foundations "1.0" and modern improvements "2.0". The next step will not just be a technical upgrade, but will require a radical change in the structure and language of the games.
Together with art director Shigenori Soejima, he showed how the momentary experience of the game can turn into a long-term one. From concepts to aesthetic solutions, they traced the creation of the Persona and Catherine sagas, and then Metaphor.
Each game through key elements: Persona 3 — "death and rebirth", Persona 4 — "harmony", Catherine — "temptation and fall", Persona 5 — "hope from rebellion", Metaphor — "connection of anxiety, heroism and public judgment".
Hashino noted a pattern: the themes of the games resemble the major arcana of the Tarot — from "The Fool" to transformation and rebirth. This discovery made him think about creating a large background narrative that shapes the identity of the saga.
This is how the concept of JRPG 3.0 is born. The games rethink the genre, offer new ways of presenting the journey, interacting with the player, and turning the plot into an emotional experience. Metaphor closes the cycle of creativity in fantasy, and the next game may be the beginning of a new generation of JRPGs.
