Nearly 35 years after the first entry was released in Japan, the Shin Megami Tensei series has remained niche; meanwhile, spinoff franchise Persona has taken the mainstream mantle. While not quite at Persona 5’s level of popularity, Shin Megami Tensei has reached a milestone long time fans wouldn’t have seen coming just a decade ago.
According to the official Atlus West Twitter account, Shin Megami Tensei V has sold 1 million units worldwide. It becomes the first game in the franchise to reach this milestone and is the best-selling Shin Megami Tensei game ever. In order to celebrate, character designer Masayuki Doi drew up a new black and white illustration of Shin Megami Tensei V’s protagonist. Considering it took five months to break this barrier, there’s a chance that Shin Megami Tensei may one day reach the same recognition as Persona.
This news comes months after another significant franchise milestone. During Famitsu’s New Year’s 2022 article, which compiled greetings from 60 Japanese developers, Atlus shared that Shin Megami Tensei V had sold 800,000 units. At that point, it was already the most successful entry in the series, surpassing Shin Megami Tensei IV’s lifetime sales in less than two months.
It’s never been a better time to be a fan of the series. With Soul Hackers 2 receiving a worldwide release across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC this August, it’s safe to say that both Atlus and Sega see value in the Shin Megami Tensei brand beyond Persona.
