Persona 5 and More Confirmed for PS3 in North America

I’ve gotten your emails, your tear-stained letters, your carrier pigeons, and the erstwhile smoke signal. We’ve read them, and we — finally — can fully and officially reply to them with the best kind of confirmation ever: ATLUS is bringing three new Persona games to the PlayStation family starting in fall of 2014.

“But John,” you’ll ask, “what are these new Persona games of which you speak?” Well, I’m glad you asked that, illusory writing device! Let’s just cut right to the quick. Persona 5 is coming. In 2015. And will be the first Persona RPG developed for the PlayStation 3 system. That’s about all we know about the game, because the plot, characters, and everything about it is being kept under wraps. The one thing we do know is that series director Katsura Hashino hinted that the storyline will be about throwing off the chains of oppression to find one’s true self. But how that theme is addressed in Persona 5? We have no idea.

Next up, we have the sequel to Persona 4 Arena ­­– the hit fighting game for PS3. The number “2” isn’t powerful enough for all the awesome new content in this game, so we’re calling it Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. What does Ultimax entail? A brand new story mode that continues the plot of the original, new fighting modes, the inclusion of classic Persona 3 characters Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba. Oh, and new to the series is the mysterious, scarred, red-headed Sho Minazuki. P4AU will be on PS3, coming in fall 2014.

Finally, we have Persona 4: Dancing All Night. This is a rhythm action game for PS Vita, with 30 brand new tracks/remixes showing off the Persona Sound. It’s also being made in collaboration with Dingo, the development brainchild behind Hatsune Miku: Project Diva. Does that sound crazy to you? Well hold on to your britches, because it stars the cast from Persona 4 who are investigating the disappearance of Rise’s pop group juniors, Kanamin Kitchen.

They disappear to a mysterious place called the Midnight Stage, and surprise surprise, combat doesn’t work there the same way it did in the Midnight Channel (that’s the game world from Persona 4). No, on the Midnight Stage, the fighting is done with dance moves, and will boogie its way to PS Vita in 2015.

I know that’s not a lot of info to go on, but we’re super excited to bring this latest crop of Persona games to the North American PlayStation family! Stay tuned to PlayStation.Blog in the coming months for news about these titles!