Looks like the Phantom Thieves will be a little late to the party – in North America and Europe, at least.
That’s because Atlus has announced Persona 5‘s western release date has been pushed back to April 4 to allow additional time for localization. Confirmation hails from the publisher’s ongoing livestream, which brought forth something of a silver lining: the JRPG sequel will boast dual audio across both PS3 and PS4 at launch.
In a refreshingly candid post on PS Blog, Atlus PR Manager John Hardin empathized with the community’s disappointment, but assured fans that this latest delay will allow Persona 5 to uphold the franchise’s decorated legacy.
“I know, I know. It stings. But Persona 5 set the gold standard for Atlus with its launch in Japan, and we wanted to put the utmost care into ensuring it winds up the best when it launches in the west. And — and this is a very special “and” — we have some exceedingly good news for you in light of this delay: Persona 5 will have dual audio. For PS4 and PS3.
“We’re including it as DLC for logistical reasons, but it will be free, for forever. People have been asking for this since P5 was announced, and through herculean effort from just about every division of Atlus, we managed to arrange this. This was something we especially wanted to do for the Atlus Faithful, the ones who still appreciate our English dubs and respect all the effort we put into localizing.”
Already available in Atlus’ native country of Japan, the fact that Persona 5 will include the option to switch between Japanese and English audio certainly cushions the blow. As another small consolation, a limited PS4 theme will be available free of charge for the next 24 hours.
So, there you have it; the western release date of Persona 5 has been pushed once again, this time to April 4, 2017. Below, you’ll find all of the content included in the $89.99 Take Your Heart Edition.
