Atlus has revealed that it decided to fully develop Persona 3 Reload's Episode Aegis expansion thanks to fans pushing for it.
During the Xbox Partner Preview event last week (March 6), it was announced that the recently released JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) will be receiving an expansion pass this year, which will include additional music from Persona 4 and Persona 5, new costumes, as well as the Episode Aegis - The Answer DLC.
This last piece of news has come as a welcome surprise, since Atlus said it had no plans to release any additional story content for the game, saying Persona 3 Reload "offers a complete experience".
In a new interview with Famitsu, translated by Persona Central, Persona series general producer Kazuhisa Wada explained why Atlus decided to make Episode Aegis despite recent comments. He stated that the team "wanted to make it happen from the first drafts" of Reload, "as we felt that it would be essential to have the concluding arc if we were remaking Persona 3".
However, there were "difficulties" that had to be overcome to remake the main game. This meant that there were "almost no resources to devote to the later story" - so the team was forced to abandon Episode Aigis. Despite internal issues, Wada said that "deep down, I couldn’t just give up on it" and was still looking for a way to make it a reality during the development of Reload.
The producer added that, after announcing Reload, Atlus received a lot of feedback from fans asking to make a follow-up, ultimately leading to the team to make Episode Aegis a reality. "It was reassuring for us to share the same feelings, and having that support gave us the push to make it happen," Wada said. "I am truly grateful."
Episode Aegis is an epilogue that fans first saw in Persona 3 FES, a 2007 extended version of the original Persona 3 which offered roughly 30 hours of additional story content.
The full expansion pass will cost $34.99 (£28.99). Wave one, which includes the Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden BGM collection will be released this month. Wave two and its Velvet Costume and BGM will arrive in May, while Episode Aigis - The Answer will launch in September.
For more, check out our lists of the best JRPGs and the best RPGs.
