Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio Katsura Hashino has every reason to be proud of the success his teams have achieved on the Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio games, but he doesn’t believe the genre has reached its final form yet. In a recent chat, Hashino shared that he feels like a “JRPG 3. 0” overhaul is coming that will change the genre as we know it, and he wants to be part of bringing it full circle. Hashino shared these sentiments when speaking at Korean gaming conference G-Star 2025, as reported by 4Gamer. When asked about his opinions on the state of the industry, Hashino shared his thoughts on what exactly “JRPG 3. 0” means. He calls 1. 0 the great classics, such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, which built out the basic elements, working mechanics, and gameplay of role-playing games. JRPG 2. 0 refers to more modern games, according to Hashino. He said his own Persona 5 and Metaphor ReFantazio would fall under that umbrella, as well as the recent Tales and Mana games, Hashino then goes on to describe JRPG 3. 0 as embodying “JRPGs that are yet to come.” “There will be a greater dimension to these games and they’ll change the genre’s structure and presentation at a fundamental level,” Hashino continued. He would clarify that he still doesn’t know exactly what JRPG 3. 0 looks like, but his teams and others are working on what will eventually be that transition, and he hopes that the next game by his team will be part of that new evolution.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146960/katsura-hashino-jrpg-3-metaphor-refantazio-persona