A recap of...
Persona 3 Reload
Atlus had begun development of a remake of Persona 3 by 2019. The large majority of P-Studio's staff working on Persona 5 Royal (2019) at this time were shifted over to Reload, with the studio's chief director Kazuhisa Wada exclaiming that developing Persona 3 Reload was hugely important for Atlus due to the original game's influence on the rest of the Persona series, as well as the unique challenges presented with both remaking an existing title, and developing a game on a third-party game engine, as the game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 as opposed to the proprietary engine Atlus previously used for games such as Royal and Catherine: Full Body (2019). The Reload naming was conceived as a result of the developers wanting to use another moniker with the letter "R" to convey its status as a definitive edition of Persona 3 as Persona 5 Royal was to Persona 5, feeling as if simply calling it "Persona 3 Remake" was not fitting for the naming conventions of the series. The Reload name was also used to reflect the pistol-like Evokers used by the party to summon their Personas during battle.
Following the game's official reveal, Atlus shared several additional details about Reload. P-Studio chief director Kazuhisa Wada and game producer Ryota Niitsuma clarified their intentions of producing a completely faithful recreation of the original Persona 3 experience, including implementing multiple "new scenes and events" beyond the retained narrative. However, the pair confirmed that as a result of remaining solely faithful to the game as it was originally released, none of the story content integrated into either Persona 3 FES or Persona 3 Portable would be remade for Reload, such as the epilogue chapter "The Answer" or the second female protagonist and her associated content. Wada clarified following this interview however, that other story and gameplay elements first added to the main story scenario in FES would still feature in the game. During a separate interview published in Weekly Famitsu, Wada, Niitsuma and game director Takuya Yamaguchi also expressed enthusiasm towards introducing alterations to the existing game's controls and map design, highlighting that the game's main dungeon, Tartarus, would undergo a "particularly large change" in structure from the original game due to the increase in environmental density, as well as interactive features and landscapes within existing areas. They also discussed the intent and overall importance behind producing Persona 3 Reload at this time, asserting that while they didn't want to change the plot or characters that form the original game's foundation, they were keen on players being able to enjoy Persona 3 at a functional and graphical fidelity equivalent to recent entries in the series such as Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, which was the stance they assumed at the start of development. Yamaguchi elaborated on the effort it took to remake all the game's original environments and artwork, exemplifying that the field had not just been expanded to be more proportionate with characters populating the playable areas, but also to "increase the density of game elements and scenery". Yamaguchi further discussed the addition of new scenarios beyond reproducing the original game's narrative, feeling it fitting for the game's nature as an "ensemble drama" so they may explore characters who weren't as prominent in the original game.
In August 2023, a further Famitsu interview was conducted between Wada, Niitsuma, Yamaguchi and composer Atsushi Kitajoh. They elaborated on the development process of remaking the game's assets, stating that the character models from Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (2018), which marked the first time many Persona 3 elements were fully rendered in high-definition, were used as a base for corresponding models in Reload. However, the Reload assets were otherwise produced from scratch with various adjustments, such as Aigis having her proportions altered to emphasize her unique physical traits as a cybernetic being compared to the regular human characters. Yamaguchi spoke on elements of the game shown in the game's second trailer, confirming that party members Koromaru and Shinjiro Aragaki would have dedicated side-stories outside the main narrative in Reload, with the former's side-story focusing on expanding Koromaru's backstory, while Shinjiro's content would highlight his charm amongst the party members. The developers also confirmed that the "Aeon" social link with Aigis from Persona 3 FES would be retained in the game. By this time, Persona 3 Reload had entered its final stages of development.
Following the game's official reveal, Atlus shared several additional details about Reload. P-Studio chief director Kazuhisa Wada and game producer Ryota Niitsuma clarified their intentions of producing a completely faithful recreation of the original Persona 3 experience, including implementing multiple "new scenes and events" beyond the retained narrative. However, the pair confirmed that as a result of remaining solely faithful to the game as it was originally released, none of the story content integrated into either Persona 3 FES or Persona 3 Portable would be remade for Reload, such as the epilogue chapter "The Answer" or the second female protagonist and her associated content. Wada clarified following this interview however, that other story and gameplay elements first added to the main story scenario in FES would still feature in the game. During a separate interview published in Weekly Famitsu, Wada, Niitsuma and game director Takuya Yamaguchi also expressed enthusiasm towards introducing alterations to the existing game's controls and map design, highlighting that the game's main dungeon, Tartarus, would undergo a "particularly large change" in structure from the original game due to the increase in environmental density, as well as interactive features and landscapes within existing areas. They also discussed the intent and overall importance behind producing Persona 3 Reload at this time, asserting that while they didn't want to change the plot or characters that form the original game's foundation, they were keen on players being able to enjoy Persona 3 at a functional and graphical fidelity equivalent to recent entries in the series such as Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, which was the stance they assumed at the start of development. Yamaguchi elaborated on the effort it took to remake all the game's original environments and artwork, exemplifying that the field had not just been expanded to be more proportionate with characters populating the playable areas, but also to "increase the density of game elements and scenery". Yamaguchi further discussed the addition of new scenarios beyond reproducing the original game's narrative, feeling it fitting for the game's nature as an "ensemble drama" so they may explore characters who weren't as prominent in the original game.
In August 2023, a further Famitsu interview was conducted between Wada, Niitsuma, Yamaguchi and composer Atsushi Kitajoh. They elaborated on the development process of remaking the game's assets, stating that the character models from Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (2018), which marked the first time many Persona 3 elements were fully rendered in high-definition, were used as a base for corresponding models in Reload. However, the Reload assets were otherwise produced from scratch with various adjustments, such as Aigis having her proportions altered to emphasize her unique physical traits as a cybernetic being compared to the regular human characters. Yamaguchi spoke on elements of the game shown in the game's second trailer, confirming that party members Koromaru and Shinjiro Aragaki would have dedicated side-stories outside the main narrative in Reload, with the former's side-story focusing on expanding Koromaru's backstory, while Shinjiro's content would highlight his charm amongst the party members. The developers also confirmed that the "Aeon" social link with Aigis from Persona 3 FES would be retained in the game. By this time, Persona 3 Reload had entered its final stages of development.
