Atlus Really Doesn't Want You to Know Metaphor: ReFantazio Is Coming to PS5

This reeks of meddling by Phil the Liar. /s

Atlus: buries rhe game's visibility to it biggest audience.

Also Atlus: "Why is no one buying this game?"

R-remember when someone from SIE showed up at like a persona event and said how important the series was to the platform holder 😭

And yet it will sell best on Playstation (and by a huge margin), Great marketing 😂. Do Sega not know that if it's not on gamepass then most Xbox players don't care. Even an xbox dedicated site like Purexbox have barely ran any coverage on it.

Gosh it's so sad to see a site port beg.

NOTE: Joke.

Atlus games do better on playstation and Nintendo, this is just because xbox is lacking in the jrpg scene.

@Malaise I think Microsoft thought this deal would bring in the Japanese players but with game news coverage easily found online people knew straight away the game was also coming to PS5, also all retailers listed the game for PS5 so it's kind of pointless. Even more so when you consider the game isn't even on gamepass and Xbox doesn't have any exclusive content to their version, so there's absolutely no incentive to get an Xbox for this game

These types of deals are pointless these days, the only deals worth the money are time exclusivity or exclusive content like Playstation did with Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel's Avengers.

I had to check but it is indeed up for pre-order on the PS store so yes, we are getting it day and date with the other platforms.

I wonder if Atlus are assuming the fanbase on PS is so in tune with their ***** that they don't need to advertise to their largest target demographic.

No one is ever gonna buy an XBOX for JRPG. They've tried this strategy before with Mistwalker studio and still somehow failed miserably.

JRPG thrones are being held just fine by Sony and Nintendo, but if the suits at Microsoft want to waste their money on marketing a game no one wants to play at their system, more power to them I guess.

Although if anything, hopefully this game sales number is so low that SEGA and ATLUS finally learned that marketing their games for XBOX is ***** stupid.

@UltimateOtaku91 that's bs though IV got about 350 games 🤣

Want to know the hilarious part? It doesn't matter people are still buying/pre-ordering the Playstation version.

For Atlus it is free money so I don't really fault them for that. But for Microsoft I'm very curious how these probably expensive deals helped with software and hardware sales for Yakuza 8 and this.

Edit: just interesting but Until Dawn Remake is on page one of the Best seller list in US and UK. I am always surprised by how popular the game is.

@UltimateOtaku91 I think Pushsquare has generally got better coverage of Japanese/Asian games then PureXbox. NintendoLife has better Indie coverage than both. Purexbox has great reaction pieces.

Guess Microsoft want to show we getting some jrpgs as there's not been many on it compared to playstation. It is better now like we are actually getting some but there must be at least 10 times as many on ps the amount of trailers IV seen lol

Historically rpgs/jrpgs haven't sold well on xbox , weird marketing choice

I noticed a similar thing for The Casting of Frank Stone. All of the promo material is PlayStation branded.

@Decimateh-xblz Don't get me wrong I know there's some players on xbox who buy games but primarily people own an xbox for gamepass or rely on gamepass for their games. I've seen so much gamepass version begging online and so people saying "il wait til it's on gamepass" for certain games.

And then there's the fact JRPG's don't do as well on Xbox and don't get much coverage on gaming sites, for example the latest Neptunia game releasing xbox hardly got any coverage, if not for Gematsu even I wouldn't have known about it. If Xbox want to get serious about JRPG's then they need to get all of them onto their system like the Trails games and Atelier games and maybe get some exclusives like they did with Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata.

Never really put two and two together but Sammy has a point — this might be (at least partly) why Metaphor seems to have such narrow reach despite being the next big budget game from the people who make Persona. It definitely feels like it should be catching on more than it is.

@breakneck Yeah I've noticed, but since all three sites are under the same umbrella surely one person can write an article that gets published across all three sites? For example game "X" is coming to PS5 and Series S/X so that article just gets put on both sites as is.

Been following this game since very first announcement. If you’ve watched any Metaphor trailer from Atlus JP (a.k.a. atlustube), it’s clear they are the only channel staying out of any marketing deal, listing every platform (PS4/PS5 and Steam included).

Also in contrast, retailers from Japan only promote PlayStation versions since it’s the only platform that will be releasing the game physically. You can check the developer’s X account (@stud_zero) for the photos.

@ShogunRok Also Playstation YouTube channel has over three times the amount of Subscribers than Xbox's channel, so technically trailers reach three times the amount of people which potentially means more word of mouth and in return more sales.

This is actually a concern of mine, the game looks awesome and is the studio trying something a bit different from the usual, white still keeping the flavour of their previous stuff. But it just seems nobody is talking about it, you'd expect some spillover just from new Persona fans but it feels like nobody is talking about it. Hope the pay from Xbox was a lot because it might need to cover quite a bit

@Dragon83 utter *****. RPGs have done well on Xbox. As for JRPGs not being successful on the platform. That's more on the Japanese developers lack of interest in the platform. But that has gradually changed & there is more now than ever on Xbox.

@UltimateOtaku91 Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, Lost Odyssey were the first and last 3 JRPGs ever graced the XBOX ecosystem.

Those 3 games failed miserably in sales as Japan and Asia still didn't buy XBOX. So much so, that Mistwalker Studio actually had to pivot to making Mobile Games only these days. Imagine making a JRPG made by the Father of Final Fantasy dies because of exclusivity on their ***** consoles.

XBOX is where JRPG goes to die.

This is like my only instant day one buy for the rest of the year, trying to watch what I'm spending while I have a huge backlog. I don't personally mind this because I've seen enough and will definitely be picking this one up. But I can see where it's not great for the brand.

@cragis0001 We're talking about JRPGs here. Don't move the goalpost to suit your narrative.

Until XBOX figured out how to sell their systems in Asia, none of the Asian developers will bother developing their games for XBOX because it's a loss.

I’m just glad Microsoft hasn’t payed for timed exclusivity so I can actually play it.

Atlus would sell their own mother if they could. It's clear they are one of the only Japanese publishers willing to take Microsoft's buck, and it's all so futile.

When I was over there in May, every Yodabashi Camera I went to had an Xbox section no bigger than an endcap in your average British supermarket. Meanwhile, Sony and Nintendo games/products took up several aisles each.

Well if this affects sale numbers, then Atlus only have themselves to blame.

Gonna buy this D1 but they gonna regret this marketing choice

This game isn’t even on Gamepass like the previous Atlus titles. I don’t get the logic of Microsoft where they are definitely deprioritizing exclusives, but they still wanna do the marketing stunts that were very common last generation where they pretend like 3dd party games are exclusive. That’s not even considering that it’s Metaphor of all games. Is Xbox really banking on their notoriously Western audience to buy a $70 new JRPG ip?

I'm getting it on PC. But might not be day one.

Think I watched one of the first trailers and that's it. So you're telling me not too watch anymore. Got it. Might pick this up some time.

Been RE:Playing through the RE series atm as I've blasted through so many Open World/RPG games the past few months, need a change of pace.

@N1ghtW1ng but Phil believes when everyone plays we all win lol

@QiaraIris well the guy I responded to mentioned both RPG/JRPG 😅😅😅. So who is moving the goalposts.
So why is Xbox getting more JRPGs if they don't sell? You'd think it be the opposite.

@cragis0001 The same reason XBOX is paying millions to market Metaphor, because they have money to burn and out of touch with the market.

What are the next 4 JRPGs coming to XBOX after Metaphor?

Sony has Romancing Saga 2 Remake (PS, Switch and Steam, Skipping XBOX), Trails of Daybreak 2 (PS, Switch, and Steam, skipping XBOX), YSX:Nordics (PS, Switch, and Steam, skipping XBOX), Farmagia (PS, Switch, and Steam, skipping XBOX), Fairy Tail 2 (PS, Switch, Steam, and skipping XBOX) and we're only in November.

I think it will be fine in the end. I have a feeling people have just seen enough of the game already and are simply choosing not to watch the trailers anymore.

It is a bit weird needing to go to either Xbox or Atlus proper for anything on the game though. I know Xbox has actually done a better job trying to bring more JRPGs over to the platform but Playstation still just feels like the home of games like this to me.

Irony is it will sell far more on PS5.

I've never understood this Microsoft/Atlus deal but as we know, Microsoft hasn't been shy at throwing money at them and Sega and no one should be surprised by this one. We should assume this will be on Game Pass.

Maybe Microsoft should buy some actual exclusives rather than short term deals on games that will obviously come to other platforms after 3-6 months.

Genuinely, do that many people even have a PS5? I still personally don't know anyone who has one.

This will still absolutely sell better there than on Xbox, but I'm willing to bet PC will move the most copies.

That's fine. When Xbox sales for this game absolutely suck, they're not gonna put their games next to them like this again lol

@Shepherd_Tallon Also says 100+ bought in past month on the PS5 version, yet says nothing on the Xbox version. I think this games sales may decided who gets the Persona 6 marketing.

In an alternate reality PS5 gamers forget the game is on their console and don't buy it, hurting the title's sales overall. Warehouses full of PS5 versions collecting dust. Head scratching for sure. They think we're morons?

Microsoft isn't gonna buy advertising rites to a game just to burn money. It obviously see's an advantage to owning it. Just like Phil Spencer turning up to FF14 expo in New Vegas was for fun also I guess. Xbox users asked for more JRPGs

You also act like PlayStation gets every JRPG. In Japan Switch is king. Even Sony has had it rough. I never said that Xbox will ever be the best place to buy JRPGs. I've got a Switch & PS5 for that. All I said is they must be selling as we seem to be getting more Asian/JRPGs than ever before. Even Genshin Impact is coming in November.

This year alone I've purchased on my xbox
Persona 3 Reload
Unicorn Overlord
Sand Land
Dragons Dogma 2
Final Fantasy 14 & Dawntrail
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Octopath Traveler 2
Visions of Mana

You asked for 4 Future Xbox titles.
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus
SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D
Fantasian Neo Dimension
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster
Blue Protocol
Lost Helleden
Monster Hunter: Wild

Meanwhile, some gamers will start to get exited by another game which is being released in the same window, and which is being heavily marketed for PS5, and will buy that game instead... leaving Metaphor to be a deep sale purchase later on...

With Atlus JRPG's you're better off waiting a year after release when they make the definitive version which includes the DLC which actually ends the story properly. So it not being advertised for ps5 is no bad thing for patient gamers

@QiaraIris people did for Blue Dragon and for Lost Odyssey, not like FF13 numbers but still it was a push at that time.

I mean come on if you owned Sega and Xbox asked and paid you millions for exclusive marketing wouldn't you take the money even though it still comes to PS5 and Steam without any delay? Of course you would.

No ones looses nobody misses out on the game day one. Everyone knows how marketing deals work. Look at COD deals for PlayStation since PS4 era this is no different.

Well then I guess I'll forget it exists like Atlus wants then pick it up in a deep sale.

Microsoft can waste all their money marketing this, but it doesn't matter. The PS5 version will likely outsell the Xbox version at a 10:1 ratio at the very least.

Atlus must have been laughing at Microsoft in their heads when they took their money.

What's all this about RPG's don't sell on Xbox?! Games in general don't sell on Xbox (& they have nobody to blame but themselves).
Also, this game has a stupid name, it must be said.

The game looks interesting but it feels like a Persona game with different title. So i'll wait the Golden or Royal edition aka complete edition or a big discount like half the price.

These marketing deals are so stupid, it's like how when you play a game with cross platform and just see a generic controller between the Xbox and playstation but the steam or epic player or whatever other launcher can see the playstation and Xbox logos just fine.

These publishers spend their money on things that don't matter but then wonder why people get upset when they close studios and lay devs off.

That's OK.
They keep giving away their games on game pass and lowering the price I'm willing to pay for them ¯(ツ)/¯

@QiaraIris I think i still own a copy of Eternal Sonata on PS3 I really liked that game.

@Ichiban When I saw this game I loved it I was terrified that it would not come too the PS5. And the name why should I care the game looked fantastic.

@Coversnail I would love too see a complete edition on day one PS5 even if I would have to wait a year. 😁

@cragis0001 I'm going to be a little straight with you i love to own my games but we are a dying out breed. I own no games games digitally on my. PS besides free games and really small ones.

But on Xbox the only thing I read here is im playing it on Gamepass for free or I'll wait. Xbox really destroyed the value of games and kids expect this is the new normal (cant blame them).

No different to when Sony had marketing rights to call of duty

I don't know why this is news tbh. Pretty much all of Segas games have Xbox exclusive marketing now. The game still sells well on PS but it has also positivity impacted sales for the Xbox versions.

It's not about getting PS or Nintendo centric gamers to buy the Xbox version, it's about getting the 50 million Plus Xbox player base to buy the Xbox version. Based on UK data I have via work for SEGA games on Xbox the numbers of physical sales on Xbox are up quite a bit.

So yes it's worth the money.

It is strange. When it was first announced I thought it was just for Xbox and pc. Had to dig just to see PS5. Got it favorite though (not pre-ordered yet)

@Ichiban dang u had me til the end and then lost me lol

Unfortunately I just never understand these deals.

Ps5 is outselling xbox by nearly 10 to 1 now.
Ps4 dominated Xbox.

Those are just facts.

So in what universe does the execs and marketing team over on the side of the game think, I know, let's promote our game on a dying console and platform, where even if the game sells a few copies, it's nowhere near what the sales will be on PlayStation.

I understand them taking the money but surely any one in business knows you promote to your biggest audience.

Making a deal like this where you shy away from your biggest audience, isn't going to do much to your sales. This type of game isn't a system seller. So it doesn't even make much sense for Microsoft either.

So strange.

Since they want to ostracize PlayStation players, then so be it. Hopefully this game will flop hard, as that seems to be their aim here.

The reason why there are low numbers watching the latest trailer might not actually be xbox related - I am looking forward to the release but I do not need to see anymore trailers or reveals. I avoided the latest trailer. Oh and yes, I will be buying it on PS5 even though I have an xbox too (been loving playing through Persona3 on gamepass though)

@UltimateOtaku91 ye IV seen a few myself tbh lol they're idiots though.I don't get why people say that it you want a game just buy it FFS 🤣 it's just unlucky if game comes to go after like been good year on gp this year got the resi remakes Callisto protocol and bloodstained but i already bought em day 1 just unlucky init rather not wait incase it does lol. But can't see it been that many doing it surely coz nowts guaranteed to come🤣

@Flaming_Kaiser yeah I do too, that was actually a pretty fun JRPG with an interesting combat mechanic.

I wished there's a sequel or at least a remaster/remake of it.

@get2sammyb Hi, Sammy. Looks like PlayStation has noticed your post now that they finally released their very first Metaphor trailer. 😆

https://youtu.be/Kr6D5WtCMwM

MS is gonna kill this game. Surprise, surprise.

@QiaraIris Same here it wasn't to heavy to play a fun RPG. I would not mind a remaster /remake or part 2. I would really like to see a Dark Cloud remake /remaster or a part 3.

@Flaming_Kaiser I like to buy games myself as well. Games Pass like PlayStation Plus is a useful tool I use to try games I usually wouldn't buy & Microsoft 1st party titles. I also use the money I save to buy other 3rd party games. But there are some games I wouldn't touch in a subscription service like RPGs.
Yes I agree that a part of the Xbox fanbase just rely on Games Pass. But think Sony has the same problem with Playstation Plus & to a certain degree a large casual audience that only buys COD & EA Soccer every year.

@cragis0001 MS is just next level look here alone man I see more people comment they play it on Gamepass then that thet buy it.

I think eventually publishers see that themselves and have no issue just waiting or skipping Xbox. You see it with the smaller especially RPG games they just won't bother.

In the worst case they even may say yeah I'm not doing a Gamepass release because that will lose me revenue on lost full sales of a game.

I really believe that games as in a subscription made the industry worse the games devalue and kids now think everything is free can't even blame them for thinking that.