A new report indicates that among the games that will be showcased during the June 8 Xbox Games Showcase will be a remake of PS2 RPG Persona 4. According to Mp1st, a source revealed to the publication that the Persona 4 remake will be announced as coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The report indicates that this remake of Persona 4 will be similar in style to Persona 3 Reload, which saw completely new assets, including voice acting and music, as well as improved visuals owing to the fact that the game was made using the engine powering Persona 5 and more recent games in the series.
While the gameplay in Persona 3 Reload was largely left the same as the original, there were a few quality-of-life changes, including the ability to manually command your team mates to use specific attacks and spells. The rumoured Persona 4 remake will also likely feature some similar quality-of-life updates.
Back in May, Yuri Lowenthal – who has previously been the voice actor of Persona 4 party member Yosuke Hanamura – had indicated that a Persona 4 remake was in the works. On social media platform BlueSky, Lowenthal said that, while he had “begged” to reprise his role as Yosuke in the remake, Atlus had declined. Lowenthal’s post has since been deleted.
Persona 4 was originally released all the way back in 2008 on the PS2. The game featured major changes from its predecessor – Persona 3 – by bringing in a wider variety of dungeons and a more vibrant cast of characters. Contrasting with Persona 3, Persona 4 also left behind the big city setting of its predecessor, instead taking place in the small village of Inaba.
In Persona 4, players are put into the shoes of a high school student that has been freshly transferred to Inaba to live with his uncle and cousin sister for a year. Over the course of the first few days, a rumour about something called the “Midnight Channel” spreads around, where those who stare at a switched-off TV at midnight will get to see a picture of their soulmate.
In true Persona fashion, the protagonist, along with friends from his high school, will venture into an alternate world where they must take on the shadow-y manifestations of peoples’ darkest thoughts. To take on these enemies, the protagonist and his friends tap into the powers of their own thoughts – the eponymous Persona.
Along with Persona 3, Persona 4 was the major title that attracted a more mainstream audience to the franchise. The game was popular enough to get an extended re-release for the PlayStation Vita – which was eventually released on all modern platforms – dubbed Persona 4 Golden, as well as anime and movie adaptations, and even spin-off titles.
Persona has been one of the biggest franchises under Atlus, and by extension, under Sega as a whole. The most recent mainline entry in the series was Persona 5 Royal, which also got sequels and spin-offs in the form of Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5 Tactica.
