Persona 5: The Phantom X (P5X) has been out globally for six months now, and it's been far from a smooth ride. The global version of the game was criticized for lagging behind the Chinese version, especially when it came to the reward and gacha system. In interview with PC Gamer, The Sega and Atlus teams acknowledged these issues and explained how player feedback is now central to P5X's development direction.
Early Release Full of Criticism
The global release of P5X was immediately compared to the Chinese and Asian versions that came first. Many players felt that the reward distribution in the global version felt more limited, while standards in the gacha gaming world were already quite high. When Umamusume: Pretty Derby released just a day earlier and immediately attracted attention, P5X's position became even more difficult.
Operations director Yuta Sakai said that the team made many adjustments to both the Japanese and English versions, especially in terms of quality-of-life and additional features for new players. Some of these changes were considered helpful, but others sparked complaints. Sakai mentioned that the team ended up having to revisit a number of decisions after seeing player response, especially from the Western community, which was quite vocal.
Gacha and Reward System Overhauled
One of the most noticeable changes is the overhaul of the gacha system. Certain banners now guarantee a character after 110 pulls, a move that comes close to the pity standard in other popular gacha games. For players who were hesitant to spend resources, this change provides a greater sense of certainty.
Rewards from daily and weekly tasks are also improved. Players who continue to log in and complete regular missions now earn more clear benefits. This decision came after the first six months in which many players persisted while continuing to offer criticism, rather than leaving the game outright. That early feedback informed the development team to tweak the in-game economy to make it feel more natural and less burdensome.
Global and Chinese Updates Unified
In addition to the game's economic issues, Sega and Atlus are also trying to unify the development pace between the global and Chinese versions. Development producer Jun Matsunaga explained that the internal workflow was changed so that major updates could be released simultaneously in both regions. This was first realized through the half-anniversary update that brought Justine and Caroline as playable characters.
These two are the iconic Velvet Room attendants in the Persona series. Atlus gave permission for them to be used as global characters for the first time. For Persona fans who are more familiar with the main series on console and PC, the presence of important characters like these signals that P5X is being treated seriously as part of the Persona ecosystem, not just a side spin-off.
The Future of P5X in the Eyes of Developers
Chief producer Yohsuke Uda expressed his gratitude to the players who stayed for the first six months even though the initial conditions were not ideal. He emphasized that the team will continue to listen to feedback and use it as a basis for future development. The focus is on bringing P5X to a standard that is more in line with the expectations of today's gacha players.
For players who tried P5X in the beginning and then backed out due to reward or gacha issues, the current state of the game is quite different from the first day of release. A clearer pity system, increased regular rewards, and simultaneous updates with the Chinese version indicate a more coordinated development direction. For Persona fans curious about the series' adaptation to a gacha game format, P5X's first six months are an example of how the voice of the community can force significant change.
