Update:
Atlus has issued a press release about the Persona 5 delay on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, saying it will launch in 2016 in North America:
There’s no easy way to say it, so we’ll be blunt. Persona 5 will not release in 2015. The next numbered entry of the Persona franchise will now release in Japan and the Americas in 2016.
The strengths of the Persona series are compelling characters, a moving, relatable story, and a borderline obsession with minutiae – elements which can’t be rushed or taken lightly. So while ATLUS realizes the frustration and disappointment that this must cause for the JRPG-loving public, please know that we are delaying the game in order to make sure the next iteration of the Persona series lives up to the expectations of fans.
Original Story:
It was exactly a month ago that Atlus USA’s John Hardin adamantly declared that Persona 5 was coming out within 2015? Remember that? Yeah, that wasn’t true. It’s now marked as “Summer 2016.”
He seemed so damn sure of himself, and Atlus has such a history of unorthodox approaches that you even called a Persona 5 2015 release a “slam dunk” when you made me write this thing about your dumb Tokyo Game Show predictions. Well now don’t you feel silly for believing things just because people with inside knowledge say them? That’ll teach you.
But wait! What if this is all part of the setup? What if, tomorrow, they do the thing you mentioned and the phantom runs out and surprises everyone? There’s hope! Keep hope alive!
…Maybe?
