Persona may not be the oldest franchise of the JRPG family, but it has a storied history nonetheless. Across a total of six core games, fans have witnessed lots of totally different incarnations of the Persona universe and its gameplay mechanics. Not every Persona fan has actually played through all of these installations, however. Ever since Persona 5 became a smash hit, tons of new fans have flocked to the franchise, and they're eager for more content. Persona 6 is far off, but luckily Atlus has announced that Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal are all getting ported to current gaming platforms.
These games aren't new, but they're perfect for tiding fans over until they get their hands on the next game in the franchise. Perhaps more importantly, the Persona ports are the ideal addition to the current 25th anniversary celebration for the franchise. Persona's 25th birthday hasn't been as spectacular as fans were hoping, but the ports kick things into high gear, even if they won't necessarily release within the window of the anniversary. While it's hard to say if the ports will truly redeem the 25th anniversary in the eyes of fans long-term, they're certainly a big step in the right direction.
A Turn in the Persona Anniversary
So far, Atlus has celebrated Persona's anniversary in a wide variety of ways, but not all of them have been particularly impressive. Concerts for Persona music and special deals on Persona games are fairly exciting, but the anniversary has largely been known for muted or somewhat bizarre celebrations, such as Persona-themed mouthwash and a new Sega Sammy slot machine with Persona 5 animations. Fans were hoping that lots of new games or remasters would define the celebration, and while Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has made a comeback, it can't carry the whole event on its shoulders.
That's why the port announcements are such a big deal. To a certain extent, the Persona 5 Royal ports aren't all too surprising; Royal is still a pretty recent release, and the Persona 5 brand is huge, so it only makes sense to capitalize on that momentum by adding it to Xbox, PC, and Switch. However, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden following suit is a much bigger surprise. As successful as Persona 4 Golden was on Steam, there was little reason to believe that the last two generations of Persona would make a widespread comeback. Nevertheless, all three core games are on their way.
The Persona ports are a major boon for the ailing anniversary. As recent examples like Super Mario 3D All-Stars and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD have proven, ports and remasters of classic games are a great way to celebrate a game franchise's birthday, since it helps remind fans of the franchise's roots and reflect on just how far a franchise has come. Persona has grown a lot over the course of its last three generations, so the ports are the perfect way to mark the franchise's anniversary. Admittedly, the ports seem to be releasing a little too late to strictly be called anniversary content; Persona 5 Royal launches on new platforms in October, with the other two games likely coming afterwards. Still, the announcement is well within the anniversary window, so the ports are intrinsically tied to the celebration.
The Legacy of Persona's 25th Anniversary
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As impressive as the Persona ports sound, it's hard to say for sure if these events make up for a rough celebration of the anniversary. For so many months, fans have had to be content with Persona merchandise and Japan-exclusive events, but it's hard to be satisfied with these things. When Atlus announced a full year of Persona celebration, fans hoped for far more robust, meaningful events that brought the growing international community together, and after months of disappointment, the ports may simply be too late to fix the anniversary's reputation.
At the same time, the new Persona ports really are staggering from the right perspective. Only a few years ago, the core Persona games were strictly PlayStation exclusive, but all that has changed rapidly. Persona 4 Golden's Steam release seems to have opened the floodgates for Persona games on multiple platforms. Getting the last three generations of games on PS4 and PS5 would've already been great, but Atlus has decided to give fans vastly more options than that, even putting Persona on the Xbox, which it has avoided for a long time. The multiplatform launch of these games helps to make the anniversary seem like a gateway into Persona's future, putting it in a much more positive light.
All in all, it seems most likely that the Persona 25th anniversary will be remembered in a mixed light. Contents like the mouthwash undoubtedly missed the mark, but Persona 4 Arena Ultimax was an upside of the event, and the port announcements were exactly what fans were hoping to hear within this window. At the very least, the anniversary's reputation seems much more positive than before with the ports in tow.
Persona's Future Looks Brighter Than Ever Now
Whether its remaining contents are hits or not, the Persona anniversary year at least looks like it'll end on a high note. Persona 5 Royal will release on new platforms right after the celebration ends, setting up for Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to stage comebacks sometime after that. Perhaps the only things that could make the anniversary look better now are the announcement of a new Persona game or a Persona 6 reveal. Neither seem likely, considering just how busy Atlus likely is right now, but with a few months left to go, fans can still dream.
Even if the anniversary hasn't panned out perfectly, the months that follow it look like they'll be very important for the franchise. Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal will work together to bring in even more new fans than Persona 5 alone did, all while keeping fans hyped for Persona as the next game slowly draws nearer. Persona 5's release was a clear period of growth for the series, but the trio of ports could be even more influential in the long run. The Persona anniversary may not have the benefit of releasing all these ports within its window of time, but at least it got to be a part of the big reveal.
Persona 5 Royal is available now for PS4 and releases October 21, 2022 for PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden release dates have yet to be announced.