The development of Persona 3 has been reconfirmed by a leaker who previously disclosed Atlus is working on a remake. Since the release of Persona 5 Royal in 2019, what’s next for the Persona brand has been a mystery, as Atlus has delayed the RPG, releasing it to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox platforms in 2022. With that out of the way, Atlus seems ready to move on to the next big Persona release. However, it is possible that it is not Persona 6, but rather another chance for Persona 3.
Persona 3’s release marked the beginning of what many consider to be the Persona franchise’s current momentum. While the initial Persona 3 release on the PlayStation 2 did badly compared to the first and second Persona games, its remakes, Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, considerably improved the release. Those releases contributed to a broader western audience, which has resulted in franchise expansion for Persona 4, Persona 5, and several more spin-off releases.
Atlus revealed early on New Year’s Day that the company has big plans for 2023. These ambitions will begin with the previously announced remastered versions of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden for current platforms. However, Atlus also acknowledged the existence of numerous “unreleased new titles,” albeit no particular names or hints were revealed. This has sparked a more extensive debate among the Persona fanbase.
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— ??????????? (@Atlus_jp) December 31, 2022
Fans of ResetEra have speculated about what Persona announcements Atlus may make in 2023. One user brought up a long-dormant rumour about a Persona 3 remake, wondering whether it was still occurring since that Atlus had re-released Persona 3 Portable. Insider lolilolailo, who previously revealed the news of Persona coming on Xbox Game Pass in 2022, responded. The Persona 3 remake is still “genuine,” according to lolilolailo.
The reason why Atlus would re-release Persona 3 Portable if a remake was in the works was addressed in a subsequent remark. “It’s Atlus,” lolilolailo stated simply. They claim that an enhanced Persona 3 Portable version will bring the “entire” Persona narrative to new systems. Atlus may profit from the original game first, and then from the remake with its Persona 5-like aesthetics and quality-of-life enhancements afterwards.
For the record, lolilolailo never claims that the Persona 3 remake will be one of Atlus’ 2023 announcements. It’s very feasible that the remake if it exists at all, will be released much later. That would give the Persona 3 Portable re-release plenty of breathing room. Persona fans will have to wait and see what Atlus has in store for the increasingly famous RPG brand without an official confirmation from the company.
