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The modern Persona series is synonymous with slick, sexy UI design, making games like Persona 4 Golden, Persona 5 Royal, and the recently released Persona 3 Reload instantly recognizable. Atlus' efforts are so far ahead of the curve in this regard, and shockingly, it turns out the secret to this success relies simply upon retaining key staff and paying them appropriately.
Highlighted by UX designer Alex Tokmakchiev on Twitter, Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino spoke about the company's extraordinary UI advantage in an interview with Persona Central in late December when members of HoYoVerse (Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail) paid a visit. Originally nfluenced by websites using Flash to create stylish homepages, the developer entrusted UI work to senior designers and paid them appropriately. That's it! Hashino sets the scene:
"In terms of functionality, games that focus on immersion, such as action games, tend to have a very minimal UI. It might have been once considered what's trendy, but it's a common standard now. In JRPGs, you spend a lot of time in menus, so the interface itself is part of the game, rather than being something separate."
Explaining how Atlus differs on this front, Hashino points to specific Japanese development norms, which are flipped entirely when it comes to Persona. Hashino said: "In Japan, UI design is often handled by new employees. Top-level designers are usually in charge of characters and background graphics, with the UI being secondary. I think that's a mistake. That's why Atlus' UI designers are paid so well (laughs)."
Do you believe, Hashino, that incredible UI design results from retaining key staff and rewarding them appropriately? Invest your resources wisely in the comments section below.
[source personacentral.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 8
Sexy indeed 😍 Take my heart!
It is a gorgeous UI, and Atlus has such a stylish personality altogether. I really dig this remake.
Metaphor Re Fantazio like; Hold my beer!
Codemasters in the UK used to do the same. They would hire graphic designers to design the UI and then train them how to code. Won them some awards back in the day
I hope they make a persona 4 golden remake next because they desperately need it. Wonder what they were thinking when they only released it for vita after the original on ps2 because ps3 existed during that time.
As I play more and more games, I've started appreciating great UI and responsive controls. They've certainly figured both out with the Persona series. Even the audio cues that go with actions in the game have a pleasing sound to them.
A little too flashy for my taste but you can't win 'em all. The most important thing in menus for me is that they are organized well and lightning fast. Nothing worse than choppy menus.
This really pisses me off that Sony got rid of Playstation themes. The Persona 5 themes on ps4 were so well done and easily the best Ive seen.
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