Arc System Works
Atlus staff member Kazuhisa Wada had longer wanted to branch the "Persona" series out into other genres besides role-playing so as to reach a wider audience. This wish was shared by series producer Katsura Hashino and character designer Shigenori Soejima, and the three came up with a draft for a fighting game spin-off due to their mutual liking for the genre. The team chose to contact Arc System Works, developers of the "BlazBlue" fighting game series, due to their similar work ethics and proficiency in developing for the fighting genre. Mori was shocked when Atlus first approached them, and they were highly motivated during development as many staff members were fans of the "Persona" series. Rather than Arc System Works developing the game in isolation, Atlus requested that the two studios co-develop the game. Arc System Works director Takumi Iguchiya worked closely with the "Persona" team on the project.