Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 was originally intended to be that last installment of the Persona franchise, which is itself a spinoff from the larger Shin Megami Tensei family. However, critical acclaim and steady sales influenced Atlus to collaborate with Arc System Works Co., Ltd. to spinoff the series into a fighting game, Persona 4 the Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (known as Persona 4: Arena in the West). The title notably shed the "Shin Megami Tensei" prefix, as would all future installments in the franchise, indicating that Persona and Shin Megami Tensei were to be treated as separate entities.
In 2011, to coincide with the timeline of the original game, Atlus commissioned AIC ASTA to adapt the story into a 25-episode anime. The series was well-received upon release. Parts of key episodes were edited into a feature film and released theatrically.
With the launch of the PlayStation Vita, Atlus remastered Persona 4 as Persona 4: the Golden, with updated visuals, several gameplay improvements, and additional story content. In addition to being the best-reviewed game on the platform, Golden sold over 1 million units, making it the best-selling Atlus JRPG until the release of Persona 5.
The major success of Golden prompted Atlus to spinoff the series further, beginning work on a sequel to the Ultimate - Persona: 4 the Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold (localized as Persona 4: Arena Ultimax) - a first-person dungeon crawler for the Nintendo 3DS - Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - and a rhythm dancing game - Persona 4: Dancing All Night. With the exception of Persona Q, the events depicted in each spinoff are canonical. Each title takes place in the time between the True Ending of Persona 4 and the epilogue at the end of Golden, with Dancing All Night serving as the final adventure for the Investigation Team. The cast will be featured in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth.
Atlus also tapped A-1 Pictures to adapted the Golden in Persona 4: the Golden Animation. A manga series retelling the events of the original game, the Ultimate, and Persona Q were also released, as well as a light novel/manga extending the story of Naoto Shirogane, Persona x Detective Naoto.
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