18 years after his last game, Atlus co-founder and JRPG veteran known for Persona and Shin Megami Tensei returns with a new "school life RPG"

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18 years after his last game, Atlus co-founder and JRPG veteran known for Persona and Shin Megami Tensei returns with a new "school life RPG" News By Kaan Serin published 15 January 2026

Atlus co-founder Kouji Okada is back

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Kouji Okada is breaking his years-long hiatus from game development with another RPG set in what looks like a supernaturally tormented Japanese high school, decades after leaving his fingerprints all over the genre with Shin Megami Tensei and, by extension, Persona.

Developer Compile Heart today announced that it'll properly unveil a new "school life RPG" later this month, on January 29, that's produced by Kouji Okada himself alongside several other veteran Atlus developers, including original Persona writer Tadashi Satomi and early Shim Megami Tensei composer Tsukasa Masuko. (Thanks, Automaton.)

新作学園RPG ティザームービー - YouTube Watch On

Our first-look teaser flashes through several quick-cut shots of spiralling DNA, ominous corridors, what appears to be a blood-splattered research lab, and then a character's eyeball expanding at the sight of... something probably gruesome. We also briefly see a cafeteria full of people screaming in terror/pain/discomfort/something that's also probably gruesome.

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Details on the game, its release window, or launch platforms are up in the air but we'll likely get more info before the end of the month.

Either way, it's worth paying attention to anything with Kouji Okada's name attached. He was an original Atlus co-founder almost four decades ago, a lead developer on the earliest Megami Tensei games, and then a director for the very first Persona title, among many others.

After leaving the studio he co-created, Okada opened a company called Gaia, which went on to release a handful of games published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Though there was much speculation about Gaia's shutdown around 2010, it should be noted that the company's name and trademark does appear at the end of the teaser above.

In the meantime, check out the best JRPGs to play right now.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES Xbox PlayStation PC Gaming Nintendo Platforms Kaan SerinFreelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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