You never saw this Persona 5 Royal co-op card game announcement coming

gamepur.com:

Persona 5 gave us our first taste of stealing hearts with the Phantom Thieves in 2017. Persona 5 Royal took that experience and made it even better in 2020, giving players an unforgettable heart to steal. While Persona 5 Strikers gave players the chance to reunite with the Phantom Thieves, it wasn’t the same heart-stealing experience that made Persona 5 Royal special. Fortunately, Pandasaurus Games has decided to partner with Atlus to provide players with the Persona 5 Royal tabletop experience through a card game.

Players who don’t have a PlayStation will be able to experience Persona 5 Royal on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on October 21, 2022. While more players will be able to experience the thrill of stealing hearts, this new tabletop experience will be a great alternative way to bring the experience to people who don’t play video games.

The Persona 5 Royal card game will be cooperative, and will be played with multiple players, presumably to have players work together like the Phantom Thieves. It will also be a card-based strategy game, and players will have to consider their next move when they encounter difficult situations.

Co-owner of Pandasaurus Games Nathan McNair has also mentioned bringing the Velvet Room, Palaces, and the world of Persona 5 Royal into the card game. The Velvet Room is where the protagonist would go to fuse demons, which implies that demon fusion will be a significant part of gameplay. Having Palaces and the world of Persona 5 Royal suggests that gameplay will shift between the Metaverse and regular Tokyo, with players jumping between both worlds. There may be Confidants worked into gameplay, and perhaps special skills that assist the Thieves.

The Persona 5 Royal card game won’t be