It’s possible that Persona 5 Royal might include same-sex romance options, as it has been revealed that Joker will be able to give gifts to male party members, which was impossible in Persona 5.
The Persona series is known for its social interactions between party members and their allies. It’s possible for the protagonists of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 to pursue relationships with members of the opposite sex, which involves spending time with them and giving them gifts.
Joker from Persona 5 was able to give gifts to his female love interests in Persona 5 and these would help to improve their relationship. It seems that Joker will be able to do the same with Ryuji and Yusuke in Persona 5 Royal, as it has been revealed in this week’s issue of Famitsu (via Ryokutya2089) that it will be possible to give gifts to male party members in the game. It was also revealed that some Confidants cannot be maxed out until the third semester and that the streaming limitations have been extended to December.
The ability to give gifts to male party members in Persona 5 Royal doesn’t necessarily mean that they will end in romance. It’s possible that they are just used as an extension of friendship and the rest will be left up to the fan fiction writers. A similar system was used in Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition, where it was possible to romance the female party members, but the player could only become best friends with the male party members.
Atlus has come under fire for its treatment of LGBT characters in its games in the past, but it seems that the company might be changing its approach, especially when taking the new content in Catherine: Full Body into consideration. It’s unclear whether same-sex romance options will be included in Persona 5 Royal, but it won’t be long until we find out, as the game will be released for PlayStation 4 on October 31 in Japan.
Source: Ryokutya2089
