The latest game in publisher/developer Atlus's vaunted Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona 4 was announced for a US release on December 9th, 2008, during the Atlus panel at Anime Expo 2008.

Persona 4 is the sixth Persona game in the Shin Megami Tensei series, known for its extensive use of dark storylines, settings and the use of demons. The signature part of the Persona series is the focus on characters using abilities through their inner demons, their Persona. The previous entry in the series, Persona 3, was one of the best RPGs released last year, and is regarded as one of the best for the PlayStation 2.

The game will revolve around a series of mysterious murders, and will follow Persona 3's gameplay style of building Social Links and generally carrying out a life outside of just battle and investigation. One of the notable parts of Persona 3 was that it was half-RPG and half-dating sim.

Persona 4 will be released on the PlayStation 2. It will hit Japan on Thursday, July 10th. The game will retail for USD 39.99.