Considering this year marks the 25th anniversary, theoretically it should be a big year forPersonafans. Already, Atlus and P-Studio have announced plans for not only a big celebration later this year, but a “mid-to-long-term plan” for the series as well. WhilePersonaseries director Kazuhisa Wada did specifically mention plans for more numbered entries in the franchise, Sega and Atlus have also indicated interest in existing titles as well. That much was made evident whenPersona 4 Goldenwas surprise-launched on Steam on the eighth anniversary of its release. However, there’s another big anniversary forPersonahappening in 2021, aside from the series itself.
While the entire franchise will celebrate 25 years since the original game’s launch,Persona 3also celebrates its 15th anniversary of release this year. The third entry in thePersonaseries initially launched June 29, 2025, kickstarting the franchise’s modern and worldwide popularity.Persona 3was a very formative title for the franchise, establishing the work-life balance between social simulator and dungeon crawling that’s made the JRPG series so unique among its counterparts. ArguablyPersona’s identity and total separation fromShin Megami Tenseican be attributed toPersona 3, and there’s a chance it may be returning at some point this year.
RELATED:Persona 5 Strikers Kickstarts The Franchise’s Anniversary Year, But It Won’t Be All
Persona 3’s 15th Anniversary is Coming This Summer
ConsideringPersona 4 Goldenon Steam released a day before the originalGolden’s anniversary, something similar could happen forPersona 3.Golden’s release happened on a comparatively less impactful eighth anniversary, whereas the 15th anniversary forPersona 3is a big occasion. Between the amount of time since release, and the indelible impactPersona 3has had on the franchise as a whole, it would make sense for aPersona 3re-release to come on or around August 08, 2025. Atlus and Sega have already expressed a desire to port more classic titles to PC in the wake ofGolden’s success,similarly evidenced byPersona 5 Strikerscoming to Steam as well.
Persona 4 Golden’s release on PC isn’t exactly empirical evidencethatPersona 3’s on the way as well, but it certainly instills hope. It’s one thing thatPersona 4 Goldenwas exclusive to an incredibly niche platform, but it’s another thing thatPersona 3saw a multitude of different releases likeFESandPersona 3 Portable. Things get a little messy, depending on what Atlus considers the best version ofPersona 3to release multi-platform. More than likely, assumingPersona 3is ported without any major changes (likePersona 4 Golden), then the obvious answer would bePersona 3 FES. However, that means no female protagonist or controllable party members.
RELATED:Persona Games Tier List
Persona’s Anniversary Would Be Remiss to Ignore Persona 3
However, considering the 15th anniversary is a much bigger milestone compared toPersona 4 Golden’s release, Atlus and P-Studio could be more ambitious. It wasn’t that long ago wherefans took to Twitter echoing the desire for aPersona 3remakelast February. Likely influenced by the upcomingFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, many fans expressed interest in a similar treatment for one of the most popular entries in the franchise. There’s also the fact that thePersonarhythm game spin-offs feature higher quality character models and art reminiscent of the original game, which many saw as easily transferrable to a remake project, though that may not necessarily be true.
To be fair, a full-on remake ofPersona 3is the least likely scenario this year. Atlus and P-Studio would certainly surprise fans if that were true, but it is more likely thatPersona 3isn’t just a direct port ofFES. Many have come to appreciate the female protagonist fromPersona 3 Portable, butPortablealso lacks many of the things that madePersona 3 FESthe definitive version of the game.PerhapsPersona 3could be re-released as a hybrid definitive edition, bringing all the best aspects ofFESwhilst adding some quality-of-life improvements and specific content fromPortableinto the game. That’s still an ambitious expectation, but less so than a full-on remake.
Either way, it’s hard not to expectsomethingrelated toPersona 3coming this summer. Hypothetically, Atlus wouldn’t go out of its way to set expectations high forPersona’s anniversary without highlighting something as big as a 15th anniversary forPersona 3. Not to mention the fans who clearly want a re-release,or even a remake ofPersona 3in some fashion. Especially consideringPersona 4 Goldencame to PC last year on a comparatively less monumental anniversary, releasingPersona 3in some form on its anniversary would make a lot of sense.
MORE:What to Expect from the Persona Franchise in 2021
