Considering this year marks the 25th anniversary, theoretically it should be a big year for Persona fans. Already, Atlus and P-Studio have announced plans for not only a big celebration later this year, but a “mid-to-long-term plan” for the series as well. While Persona series director Kazuhisa Wada did specifically mention plans for more numbered entries in the franchise, Sega and Atlus have also indicated interest in existing titles as well. That much was made evident when Persona 4 Golden was surprise-launched on Steam on the eighth anniversary of its release. However, there’s another big anniversary for Persona happening in 2021, aside from the series itself.
While the entire franchise will celebrate 25 years since the original game’s launch, Persona 3 also celebrates its 15th anniversary of release this year. The third entry in the Persona series initially launched July 13, 2006, kickstarting the franchise’s modern and worldwide popularity. Persona 3 was a very formative title for the franchise, establishing the work-life balance between social simulator and dungeon crawling that’s made the JRPG series so unique among its counterparts. Arguably Persona‘s identity and total separation from Shin Megami Tensei can be attributed to Persona 3, and there’s a chance it may be returning at some point this year.
Considering Persona 4 Golden on Steam released a day before the original Golden‘s anniversary, something similar could happen for Persona 3. Golden‘s release happened on a comparatively less impactful eighth anniversary, whereas the 15th anniversary for Persona 3 is a big occasion. Between the amount of time since release, and the indelible impact Persona 3 has had on the franchise as a whole, it would make sense for a Persona 3 re-release to come on or around July 13, 2021. Atlus and Sega have already expressed a desire to port more classic titles to PC in the wake of Golden‘s success, similarly evidenced by Persona 5 Strikers coming to Steam as well.
Persona 4 Golden‘s release on PC isn’t exactly empirical evidence that Persona 3‘s on the way as well, but it certainly instills hope. It’s one thing that Persona 4 Golden was exclusive to an incredibly niche platform, but it’s another thing that Persona 3 saw a multitude of different releases like FES and Persona 3 Portable. Things get a little messy, depending on what Atlus considers the best version of Persona 3 to release multi-platform. More than likely, assuming Persona 3 is ported without any major changes (like Persona 4 Golden), then the obvious answer would be Persona 3 FES. However, that means no female protagonist or controllable party members.
However, considering the 15th anniversary is a much bigger milestone compared to Persona 4 Golden‘s release, Atlus and P-Studio could be more ambitious. It wasn’t that long ago where fans took to Twitter echoing the desire for a Persona 3 remake last February. Likely influenced by the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake, many fans expressed interest in a similar treatment for one of the most popular entries in the franchise. There’s also the fact that the Persona rhythm game spin-offs feature higher quality character models and art reminiscent of the original game, which many saw as easily transferrable to a remake project, though that may not necessarily be true.
To be fair, a full-on remake of Persona 3 is the least likely scenario this year. Atlus and P-Studio would certainly surprise fans if that were true, but it is more likely that Persona 3 isn’t just a direct port of FES. Many have come to appreciate the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable, but Portable also lacks many of the things that made Persona 3 FES the definitive version of the game. Perhaps Persona 3 could be re-released as a hybrid definitive edition, bringing all the best aspects of FES whilst adding some quality-of-life improvements and specific content from Portable into the game. That’s still an ambitious expectation, but less so than a full-on remake.
Either way, it’s hard not to expect something related to Persona 3 coming this summer. Hypothetically, Atlus wouldn’t go out of its way to set expectations high for Persona‘s anniversary without highlighting something as big as a 15th anniversary for Persona 3. Not to mention the fans who clearly want a re-release, or even a remake of Persona 3 in some fashion. Especially considering Persona 4 Golden came to PC last year on a comparatively less monumental anniversary, releasing Persona 3 in some form on its anniversary would make a lot of sense.
Persona 3 originally released on PS2 on July 13, 2006.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply