New faces but the same stylish and high-energy feel. This is Persona5: The Phantom X, the mobile and PC spinoff of the Persona 5 series. We had the opportunity to speak with Yohsuke Uda, Chief Producer of P5X; and Jun Matsunaga, Development Producer of P5X; along with their translators, regarding the newly launched English release of the title worldwide.
“We’re very appreciative of the positive reaction on social media, especially when people have said that P5X is equivalent or even better than the console version,” Uda-san tells Nerd Reactor during Anime Expo 2025. “We’re really happy to hear that.”
And so far, I agree. While I’m still working my way through the first Palace on mobile, there’ve been many times when I’ve appreciated that the game feels almost the same as the console version, despite being a gacha game.
A Gacha That’s F2P-Friendly
When asked how they would respond to players’ concerns about gacha and the potential feeling of pressure to spend, the team responded that typical gacha games often disappoint players if they don’t get the character they want. However, they haven’t heard any specific complaints about P5X. The feedback they’ve received is that people can progress in the story as far as they expect to go, and by doing events and collecting gems, you can still unlock other characters.
I mentioned how fun it was to find Golden Tickets in the Palace treasure chests, and the team said the tickets would continue to appear in later Palaces. The idea is to reward players just for playing, although they did mention they’re still making adjustments. While the Golden Tickets only apply to the Standard Banner and not the Limited-Time Event Banners (those require Platinum Tickets), you can still get 5-star characters to include in your team without spending money if you don’t want to.
Persona5: The Phantom X Keeps the Signature Jazzy Beats Alive
As music is such an essential part of the Persona series, to complement the game’s stylish visuals and gameplay, we asked how they balanced between adding new music and nostalgic beats from the original Persona 5.
The team’s goal was to create fresh music that matches the new experiences players will have in P5X while still incorporating elements reminiscent of Persona 5.
“We want them to feel excited and pumped up about the experience, including music tied to specific moments, such as boss fights,” said Uda-san.
There are definitely some boss fight bangers, and you’ll be nodding along to the beat before you even know it.
Matsunaga-san also explained that after Act 2, players can unlock the School Band club, where they’ll get to choose songs and perform Persona music through a series of rhythm mini-games. It’s the extracurricular student life activities that enhance this game even further. Not only will you get Band Club Experience, but also Band Badges, which can be exchanged for rewards like Gifts for companions and, more importantly, Platinum Milicoins and Platinum Tickets!
And before the interview ended, a fun fact was shared. Other birds, like a penguin, were considered before ultimately deciding that Lufel, the owl-like creature, would accompany Wonder throughout the Metaverse. While Mona from Persona 5 was expressive and energetic, Lufel is more reserved and mysterious, speaking like an old soul, which suits his animal.
Development Reveals, Live Art, and Lyn’s Vocals at the P5X Panel
At the official Persona5: Phantom X panel moderated by CDawgVA, the fanbase got to hear from:
- P-STUDIO Director Kazuhisa Wada
- ATLUS Producer Yohsuke Uda
- SEGA Producer Jun Matsunaga
- Persona Series Character Designer Shigenori Soejima
The team discussed their philosophy on character design, particularly for the Phantom Idols, where they explained their approach to balancing fantasy elements with realism. They aimed to create characters that are visually distinctive while still feeling authentic, and to have them embody cognitions and desires.
Appropriately, while the team showed amazing visual slides of the characters, Soejima-san was live drawing Wonder, and we got to see his impressive work in progress throughout the panel.
Fans also got a sneak peek at the upcoming seasonal events, which will align with real-world timelines rather than being restricted to the game’s internal calendar. Look forward to a summer festival, a Christmas event, Valentine’s, and more.
As the panel wound down, Matsunaga-san gave a closing remark, “Having just started the live service of the game, and to come here as a developer to get this interaction with you, your feedback, and your energy is super useful. We look forward to many months and many years!”
Uda-san added, “This is my first time coming to Anime Expo, and I love being in the room with you guys. We’re really going to pull out the stops and punches with P5X to make it amazing.”
The audience was then treated to a special live performance by Lyn Inaizumi, who sang “Ambitions & Visions,” the opening theme for Persona5: The Phantom X, and “Life Will Change” from Persona 5.
Ambitions & Visions song:
Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in North America, will return next year at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2nd to July 5th. You can play Persona5: The Phantom X now on PC via Google Play Games or Steam, and on mobile devices, iOS, and Android.
