Metaphor: ReFantazio, New RPG From Persona Team, Gets October Release Date

Metaphor: ReFantazio, the new RPG by the team behind Persona 5 among other RPGs, officially has a release date. In a special showcase streamed Monday, Atlus revealed that Metaphor will be out October 11, putting it squarely in the holidays.

The release date was revealed amid a 25-minute showcase hosted by director Katsura Hashino, which showed off the gameplay, music, and other elements. It offered a glimpse of what Persona fans can expect from Hashino’s latest project, which bears some resemblance to Persona 5 but is in other respects very different.

Unlike Persona, which seeks to capture the feeling of being in a Japanese high school, Metaphor is a much more high-concept fantasy adventure. It retains several of the elements of the Persona series, including the turn-based combat and the passage of time, but reimagines them. For instance, instead of a school year that progresses day by day, Metaphor is more of a fantasy roadtrip.

It’s all a bit difficult to describe, but the trailer above should give you an idea of what to expect. One way or another, expect Metaphor to feature the same memorable art and music that made the Persona games so famous.

Hashino has been working on Metaphor since at least 2017, when he left P-Studio to establish Studio Zero with the intention of working on a new IP. He was joined by composer Shoji Meguro and artist Shigenori Soejima among others, all of whom had a hand in shaping the Persona series. Metaphor made its debut at the Xbox Game Showcase in 2023, with Atlus steadily revealing more details in the months since.

Metaphor: ReFantazio will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC when it releases later this year. In the meantime, Xbox is holding an ID @ Xbox showcase next week, which will be presented exclusively right here on IGN.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed Metaphor as an Xbox exclusive. IGN regrets the error.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.