Soul Hackers 2 Officially Announced By Atlus After 25 Years
Atlus has announced that Soul Hackers 2 is being released after 25 years - and it's coming to all modern systems, except for Nintendo Switch. Soul Hackers 2 arrives just in time for the Shin Megami Tensei franchise's 35th anniversary, as the original Soul Hackers was part of the Devil Summoner series, which is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.
Soul Hackers was released for the Sega Saturn in '97. The game was set in Agami City, though much of the game involved a Matrix-like world, known as Paradigm X. As is the case with most Shin Megami Tensei games, the computers in Agami City turned into a gateway for supernatural beings to enter the world. Gamers outside of Japan had to wait until 2013 to play the game, as Soul Hackers was ported to the Nintendo 3DS with new content in 2014. Soul Hackers was recognized as one of the best Nintendo 3DS games, even if it could be brutally difficult at times.
Atlus recently opened a teaser site for a new game that was connected to Soul Hackers. Some speculated that it was a remake or a port of the original game, but a new trailer on the Official Atlus West YouTube channel, later shared by Atlus West on Twitter, has confirmed that the new game is Soul Hackers 2, which has an aesthetic that is closer to Tokyo Mirage Sessions than the original game. Along with the game's reveal comes confirmation that the title will launch this year, coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam on August 26.
The Japanese livestream for the game confirmed that there will be DLC costumes based on the Phantom Thieves from Persona 5, offering something for Persona fans who might be new to Soul Hackers. Soul Hackers 2 stars a woman named Ringu, who joins a team of Devil Summoners in a bid to stop the apocalypse. The game uses the same devil summoning/fusion aspects from the other entries in the series and seems to be mostly set in the virtual world. It bears mentioning that Soul Hackers 2 has dropped the Devil Summoner name, which might be a bid to spin it off into its own franchise, or due to the name not being well known outside of Japan.
A lot of fans had been expecting an announcement for Persona 6 during the 35th anniversary of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, so a new entry in the Soul Hackers series was unexpected, especially since the original entry was released so long ago. The impending closure of the Nintendo 3DS eShop will hopefully convince Atlus to port the original game to modern systems, either to promote the new game or in response to Soul Hackers 2 selling well. By far the biggest surprise in the trailer is that Soul Hackers 2 is coming to Xbox systems, but not Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch just outsold the Wii and is doing incredible business in Japan, yet Atlus' new game is skipping the system. It's an odd decision on Atlus' part, but there are still plenty of reasons to be excited for a new entry in the Devil Summoner/Soul Hackers series.
Soul Hackers 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 26.
Source: Official Atlus West/YouTube