Persona 3 Reload Producer Clarifies the Game Will Include Added Main Story Content from FES; The Answer & Female Protagonist Not Featured

Fatmisu recently conducted an interview with crucial staff members of the upcoming Persona 3 Reload, notably general producer Kazuhisa Wada, director Takuya Yamaguchi, and producer Ryota Niitsuma.

One of the questions from the Famitsu interviewer asked about what features Persona 3 Reload will have when considering the playable female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable and the epilogue scenario titled The Answer from Persona 3 FES.

Ryota’s response clearly indicates that his statement to IGN was an unfortunate generalization that is not entirely accurate. To summate it, he clarified that The Answer would not be included in Reload, nor the female protagonist. However, certain parts of FES will be featured in this release. If I had to guess, I would assume the Aigis Social Link added to FES will be included here.

So, this all essentially means that select improvements and additions from Persona 3 FES and potentially Persona 3 Portable can make their way into Persona 3 Reload.

You can read Ryota’s complete response below, translated by our team’s Ryuji:

Interviewer: […] Incidentally, there was also Persona 3 FES, a version of the game that featured numerous additions, and Persona 3 Portable, which allowed you to choose a female protagonist. How is Persona 3 Reload going to be positioned?

Nishitsuma Ryota: I want to make sure there are no misunderstandings here.

Persona 3 Reload was a project meant to recreate the very first Persona 3 for modern platforms. So this means that we will not include the later story added in Persona 3 FES or the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable. However, this does not mean that certain elements in the main story added in FES are not included in Reload at all.*

TL Note: He uses an interesting word choice. In “later story,” the word used is 後日談, which can mean “sequel.” And in the “main story added,” he uses 本編内. The first word is certainly referring to The Answer. And the second word likely refers to the main story changes that FES introduced. That initial statement we read from IGN likely was a failed attempt at generalizing it.

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.

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.