Persona 3 Reload Development Began in Late 2019, Staff Reveals in New Interview

IGN recently released a new video interview with the producer of Persona 3 Reload, Ryota Niitsuma, and Atlus general producer Kazuhisa Wada. Many of the discussed topics here are rather self-explanatory and have been revealed before, but there are a few new tidbits here worth chewing on.

• The Persona 3 Reload producer clarified that the game will feature added main story content from Persona 3 FES but lack The Answer epilogue and the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable.
• The Persona 3 Reload staff confirmed that Tartatus will feature new elements, such as a dash function, to make exploration more enjoyable.
• Persona 3 Reload will feature new events to focus on characters who did not receive as much focus in the original game.

Firstly, the game’s research and development phase began around 2019, while the actual development began in late 2019. So, by the time the game is released, it will have had a little over four years of development since the launch is planned for early 2024.

Secondly, while this could be gathered from the game’s announcement trailer, new and arranged music is confirmed for this release. The reveal trailer had what sounded like a new Lotus Juice track, so it’s pretty exciting.

In case you missed it, check out our announcement coverage of Persona 3 Reload, comprising a trailer, screenshots, English voice actor information, and more.

Persona 3 Reload is a remake of Persona 3 made in Unreal Engine. The game is confirmed to release for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows in early 2024. It will also be playable for Game Pass subscribers on launch.

Persona 3 Reload will likely be confirmed for other platforms in the coming days.

You can view IGN’s full video interview with select Persona 3 Reload staff below:

Persona 3 was initially a PlayStation 2 title that birthed the concept of Social Links that would follow in Persona 4 and Persona 5. Then, a director’s cut version named FES launched later, featuring a new playable epilogue called The Answer and added enhanced gameplay features.

Years later, Persona 3 Portable was released for the PSP, which removed The Answer and the ability to walk around town but added the option to play as a female protagonist and new post-game challenges.