Persona 3 Reload Dev Explains Its Missing Female Protagonist And If We’ll Get Persona 1 And 2 Remakes

The Persona sequence is at present in an fascinating place. Following the discharge of Persona 5 again in 2016, the sequence has grown exponentially extra standard. Again in December 2023, Atlus confirmed the Persona 5 series–which contains the unique sport, Royal, Strikers, Tactica, and Dancing in Starlight–has bought greater than 10 million copies. When Persona 3 Reload launched earlier this yr, it bought over 1 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling Persona sport so far. Evaluate that with Persona 4 at 2.5 million copies sold–1 million of these from the final year–and you possibly can see the franchise’s unimaginable momentum.

Suffice to say, there’s by no means been extra eyes on the Persona sequence, and this makes the studio’s present transition and trajectory notably fascinating. For the previous eight years, the studio has solely launched remakes, ports, and extra content material pertaining to the sequence’ present entries. Much more notable, nevertheless, is that the staff engaged on these tasks (Atlus’ P-Studio) has additionally seen an exodus of long-time Persona builders, with Katsura Hashino, Shigenori Soejima, Yuichiro Tanaka, Azusa Kido, Yujiro Kosaka, and Yasuhiro Akimoto all leaving the Persona sequence to begin a brand new staff and work on the upcoming fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio. I am unable to assist however marvel, then, what’s subsequent for P-Studio and the Persona sequence?

I just lately had the chance to delve into this with Atlus’ Kazuhisa Wada, a long-time producer and director on the studio who now leads P-Studio following Hashino’s departure. Although the dialog targeted on the studio’s subsequent launch, Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis, I used to be additionally in a position to acquire some perception into the way forward for the Persona sequence, if we’ll at some point get Persona 1 and 2 remakes, and why we the staff can not seem to cease releasing deluxe editions of its video games.

GameSpot: Why did the staff resolve to launch Episode Aigis as DLC slightly than incorporating it into the bottom sport as Persona 3 FES did?

Wada: FES was launched months after Persona 3, which ended up being the “full” model of the sport. Episode Aigis itself was a standalone piece of content material you could possibly choose from the main-menu display, although it was included within the base sport. A number of the motive is that we felt it made sense to launch it as a separate DLC slightly than as a whole model of Persona 3 Reload. Nonetheless, a bigger motive was that we had been merely unable to plan for Episode Aigis forward of time. Late into the event of P3R, we discovered ourselves below extraordinarily tough circumstances–we nonetheless needed to make Episode Aigis a actuality, however we did not have the correct assets to make it occur. Fortunately, final yr, we had been in a position to safe the staff essential to take action. However even then, we hadn’t selected the general staff construction for the undertaking. Whereas we had been uncertain on the time whether or not we may get it throughout the end line, I used to be decided to make Episode Aigis see the sunshine day. So, I pushed by means of, and we had been in a position to develop it as DLC.

I’ve at all times felt that The Reply was an prolonged metaphor for grief–that it explores how the world appears to face nonetheless and we discover ourselves pushing away feelings slightly than processing them. What’s it like revisiting these themes all these years later, with extra life expertise?

Slightly [than the team’s thoughts], I might have an interest to know the way you and others who shared those self same emotions on the time really feel about these themes now, all these years later and with that have. The essence of Episode Aigis is important to totally convey the general significance of P3, so if we can assist individuals perceive it higher, that could be one reply.

The truth is, we’ve tried to make a number of changes to the sport with a purpose to assist gamers higher perceive these themes, and to in the end assist them transfer ahead from 3/31. We appeared again on the situation and analyzed the assorted opinions of followers on the time and picked out the elements of the situation that had been “controversial” outdoors of the primary plot. Within the authentic, we felt that the restricted description of every character’s actions and selections made it tough to convey the required emotional premise, so we made some delicate changes round that. I am certain there are various totally different opinions on how this may have an effect on the sport generally, however I wish to ask you to play the sport and see for your self, after which give us your trustworthy suggestions.

What are probably the most significant modifications, each story-wise and with regard to gameplay, in Episode Aigis?

By way of story, the dialogue of the primary story was adjusted primarily based on the coverage described in your second query, whereas the lacking data when it comes to feelings and relationships between mates was crammed in by means of linked episodes and dungeon conversations.

By way of gameplay, new Theurgy, shifts, and particular abilities had been added primarily based on the design specs of Reload to get rid of the stress of the FES period and to make dungeon assault and battles extra satisfying. As well as, 5 problem ranges can be found right here, permitting for quite a lot of play kinds. The very best problem degree can be very difficult but rewarding on the similar time.

Lastly, not solely is the Persona Compendium included, however any compendium progress will be carried over from the bottom model of P3R utilizing present save information, so we hope followers get pleasure from all these modifications.

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What’s the most difficult side of remaking a sport almost 20 years later?

Essentially the most tough job was to create a manufacturing construction and get the undertaking drafted and authorized. From there, we needed to discover one of the best ways to convey the essence of the content material, which was divisive on the time, and easy methods to tune it for the higher. It was equally difficult, but additionally simply as essential and rewarding, to discover a approach to painting each Metis, a personality who had not appeared for nearly 20 years, and the sport’s themes in an interesting means.

With the inclusion of Episode Aigis, Persona 3 Reload seems like it’s the deluxe model of the sport but it’s lacking an essential characteristic: the feminine protagonist. Why was she excluded? Will we see her once more at some point?

Sadly, the feminine protagonist won’t be added to P3R. Again after we had been planning Episode Aigis, we had thought-about including the feminine protagonist, however the extra we checked out what this may take to make occur, the extra unlikely it turned. The event time and value wouldn’t have been manageable and as a result of nature of the content material, it is tough to entrust this externally. Even when we had been in a position to transfer ahead, the precise launch would find yourself being far into the longer term.

Past that, we’d be anticipated to construct not only a remake, however a totally new sport, so we would want to dedicate our restricted improvement assets for it. I apologize to the followers who’ve supported us for thus lengthy, however this follows the identical reasoning that allowed us to do Episode Aigis: We can’t do any further content material like making a feminine protagonist for P3R except we create and launch it at this very second the place curiosity in P3R is at its highest.

However since it isn’t potential for us to launch P3R with the feminine protagonist on this window, we simply cannot do it. I am actually sorry to the entire followers who had been holding out hope, however it’s seemingly by no means going to occur.

Atlus tends to return to video games and launch new editions with new options pretty frequently. Why is that? When do you resolve to succeed in a stopping level?

Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal added many expanded options that could not be contained in a DLC format, so we needed to deal with them as fully new video games. This time, we have stored that in thoughts for Episode Aigis, so we have made certain that the expanded content material solely works as DLC. Shifting ahead, if the content material would not considerably broaden on the bottom sport, then we wish to ship that content material in an acceptable format.

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As Persona 3 Reload wraps up, are there any plans to remake Persona 1 and Persona 2?

It’s not on my schedule proper now. I wish to do it sometime.

I do know among the staff members have moved on to Metaphor: ReFantazio. How does this influence the way forward for the Persona sequence?

A few years in the past, one of many points we needed to resolve as an organization was to enhance the event capability of the group. Happily, as of immediately, very gifted younger and mid-career persons are steadily rising by means of tasks like P3R and P5R, so if we’re requested concerning the influence on the longer term from right here on, the reply can solely be “for the higher.”

We sport builders, myself included, have a variety of points that should be resolved in response to the prolonged and expanded sport improvement course of. I imagine that one of the crucial essential issues to do is to move on the spirit of the sport to the following technology. Probably the most essential issues is to construct a corporation that enables that transition to occur naturally.

To be able to develop and preserve a sustainable, high-quality sequence of titles, I imagine that the methodologies of organizational reform and generational change at the moment had been unavoidable and extremely essential. Even then, I imagine the actual fact we will level to the expansion of the Persona sequence from then to now’s one of the best proof we’ve that we’re heading in the right direction. Due to this fact, we’d be very joyful and inspired if you happen to all have even higher expectations of each us and the video games we produce sooner or later, so please sustain the great work.