Atlus Knows What They’re Doing
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since Atlus uploaded the Persona 5 S teaser site. There were extremely minor clues as to what kind of game they were teasing before the reveal, but several fans and potential fans convinced themselves that it was for a Switch version of Persona 5. After all, there had to be a big reason why protagonist Joker appeared as the first guest downloadable content character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They were disappointed when it wasn’t for that, to say the least.
The Persona 5 R teaser was for Persona 5 Royal, an updated version of the original game only for PS4. The P5S site was for Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers for PS4 and Switch, a project initially thought to be a Dynasty Warriors-ish take on the game initially, but has since been confirmed to be an action-based sequel. (The “S” in the name can also be substituted for a “2.”) You might think that it doesn’t make any sense for a system like Switch to get what’s essentially a sequel without first getting the predecessor, but if that’s the case, you just don’t know Atlus. Fans weren’t happy, and downvoted the first Persona 5 Scramble trailer on Atlus Japan’s YouTube channel.
It was no secret that fans were disappointed about the lack of a Persona 5 Switch port. Yet, for some strange reason, Atlus USA West is pretending that it was.
The embargo was just lifted for previews of the western version of Persona 5 Royal, well ahead of its March 31st release. Impressions and videos of the English version are making the rounds, along with interviews with Atlus West’s staff. Both have provided info about the updated localization efforts, which aren’t quite as extensive as some fans were hoping. (The name mispronunciations will be untouched, for instance.) But one special comment came from Atlus West/Sega Communications Manager Ari Advincula, who, when asked about the potential for a Switch port of P5R by IGN, said “I am a strong believer in ‘never ever give up on hope’.” She also said that fans should “keep telling [them] what they want,” even though she’s not a “decision-maker.”
I’m not going to say that Advincula is stringing everyone along for a ride here, since she’s just doing her job as a PR representative for the company. Don’t go harassing the poor woman for anything on social media, please. But it’s tough to believe that Atlus needs any further requests from fans about a Switch port of P5R. It’s also tough to believe that they wouldn’t expect the nigh-collective feeling of befuddlement from Switch owners about the lack of a port after letting Joker join Smash Ultimate’s cast.
Desiring for fans to request ports is a game for a game that PR representatives like to have fans participate in, which can often give a company free advertising for upcoming titles on social media and remaining message boards that they’ll pay nothing for. It’s also true that PR reps have little choice but to engage in this, particularly when they belong to subsidiaries of Japanese companies that give their western counterparts little to work with.
To no surprise, this plan of theirs is working splendidly. Shortly after the IGN article was posted, the hashtag #BreakFreePersona trended on Twitter, full of people asking for the Switch port. If anyone didn’t know about the article and request from Atlus West PR before it existed, they knew now. You might notice that the need to port-beg almost always tends to happen with Nintendo platforms, though Vita was also a temporary flavor of the moment during its years of prominence.
There’s a chance this could happen anyway, if a current somewhat-of-a-rumor is to be believed. It was revealed over the weekend that Catherine: Full Body has been rated for Switch in Korea. If this port comes to pass, it would be the first internal Atlus game to be ported to the platform, one that’s been on the market for nearly three years. Note that Persona 5 Scramble will be the first game they publish on the system at all, though it’s developed by Koei Tecmo and Omega Force. If Full Body actually makes its way to the platform and performs well enough for Atlus’ expectations, P5R could follow. Late ports, however, are never big sellers, and I’d like to think Atlus is fully aware of this.
Let’s be honest here: Companies plan these decisions well ahead of time, and Atlus likely already knows whether they want to port P5R to Switch in the near future or not. If they don’t, there’s a chance Nintendo could convince them. But they definitely don’t mind the temporary free advertising opportunity they’re getting here, with P5R releasing soon in western territories. Again, common logic suggests that this would have been ported to Switch before sequel P5S arrived in Japan today, but this is the kind of mind-boggling move Atlus is known for. We’re talking about the same company that still thinks they can tell people how they should stream their games here, after all.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
