After months of rumors and speculation, it was finally announced. It all started following Joker’s surprise announcement for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, despite the fact that Persona 5 was unavailable on a Nintendo platform and the fact that, aside from Persona Q, there was not a single title in the Persona series on a Nintendo platform. ‘This must mean the game is coming to Switch,’ people claimed, and countless rumors that followed seem to suggest this. It became more complicated once the Persona 5 R teaser announcement on New Year’s Eve suggested we would see a full reveal for a game in March but with only the PlayStation 4 logo on display at that time. This was revealed last month to be Persona 5: The Royal, an enhanced version of the game for PS4 only with a brand-new female character, and last night, during the Persona Super Live Concert, the game received its first gameplay trailer.
Set for release on Halloween this year, October 31st, the reveal packs in the flare you have come to expect from Persona 5 and the Persona series in general at this point, with a stunning piece of 2D animation showcasing Joker in a paralyzed Shibuya Scramble Crossing before the entire cast of the Phantom Thieves are showcased in a flashy introduction sequence. The following gameplay sequence than reveals new areas of Tokyo that will be open to players to explore, new dungeons, our new female character (now known to be called Kazumi Yoshizawa) and more. The website for the game also reveals a new male character who bears a striking similarity to Morgana as well…
There does appear to be substantial changes to this new release of the game, but there would be some who would argue that its release on the same system and broad similarities in spite of these changes would make such an expansion better-suited to being a DLC pack instead of a brand new full-priced rerelease. Nevertheless, what is being shown here is exciting, with new information just a few weeks away according to the official website.
Tonight, during the second Persona Super Live Concert, a reveal for Persona 5 S, with platforms currently unannounced, is set to take place. Whether this is the rumored Switch port or something else entirely is currently unknown (though if it is a port, the separate naming could suggest the title may lack the enhancements being offered in this release. As of now, though, thanks to this trailer we do know that Persona 5 The Royal is set for release in Japan exclusively on PS4 on October 31st, with a Western release to come in 2020.