Atlus Co-Founder Kouji Okada Producing New JRPG With Compile Heart

Kouji Okada, co-founder of Atlas, is signed on to a game project for the first time in 18 years.

I’ve been a huge fan of Atlus games for years, and I was so excited to hear that Kouji Okada – a true legend with 40 years in the industry and the co-founder of Atlus himself, known for creating the amazing Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series – is coming out of retirement! He’s now producing a brand new RPG from Compile Heart, and it sounds like it’s going to be a ‘school life’ themed game. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Compile Heart revealed on January 15th that a new game was in development and stated they would share further details on January 29th.

『新作学園RPG』のティザーサイトが公開
2026年1月29日(木)に正式発表

企画プロデュース「岡田耕始」による新たな学園RPG

▼ティザーサイト

— 新作学園RPG 公式アカウント (@compileheart_vc) January 15, 2026

Other JRPG Veterans Are Working on the Game Alongside Kouji Okada

The game is being produced by Okada, and it’s exciting that Tadashi Satomi, a writer from the original Persona games, is involved. Plus, Tsukasa Masuko, who composed music for early Shin Megami Tensei games, is also contributing.

A short trailer appeared on YouTube in Japanese. It featured retro anime-style science fiction scenes, images of DNA, and a detailed look at a character’s eye. The trailer then showed glitching, distorted figures sitting at tables, seemingly in distress, accompanied by brief, desperate screams.

Following his departure from Atlus, Kouji Okada contributed to several games at Gaia studio, notably Folklore for the PlayStation 3. However, the Persona series continues to be Atlus’s most important and defining franchise.

Want to learn more about our upcoming RPG? Join the conversation on our Discord server! And be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates.

Written by

Robert DeFelice

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2026-01-18 01:48