For the longest time it was easy to say that there was still a valid reason to own the PlayStation Vita: That it was the only place to still play the excellent Persona 4 Golden. If the rumor is to be believed then it appears the Vita is losing its best exclusive at last, with word floating around the Twittersphere that Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden are heading for a Steam release. How valid are the rumors? We deal with and toil around a lot of industry scuttlebutt but, this time at least, there are a few reliable sources talking up the supposed news.
The rumors begin with the Twitter user @SabiWabii, an account with over 28,000 followers and writer for Spiel Times, posting that the news comes from a source that has scraped the SteamDB listing for Persona 4 Golden. We’ve included a screenshot of the tweets above (rather than an embed) because Sabi mentions that they may delete their posts in order to avoid risk. According to the SteamDB page, the listing was generated back in April. Typically this wouldn’t be enough to offer more than a skeptical shrug at news that (let’s be honest) gets reported every year or so like clockwork. People have wanted Persona 4 Golden on a system other than the Vita for quite a long time, myself included.
The rumor gains more validity once reported by @Nibellion, known rumor spreader and news breaker, sharing the info and supposing that the announcement will come this weekend at PC Gamer’s PC Game Show live stream presentation on June 13. Nibel also mentions that Persona 3 FES is expected to be included in the announcement. And whether a glib remark or true fact, verified Twitter user and industry analyst Daniel Ahmad also chimed in, saying “Announce and release same day.”
How valid is the rumor? Honestly, it feels more legit than some of the others we’ve heard in recent weeks. As with any rumor that starts with someone on Twitter saying they heard something a bit of skepticism is warranted, but at the same time it feels like its time for the Persona series to finally migrate to new pastures. If true, I am sad that the Vita is losing one of its few last major hooks to get people to come back to the system but, at the same time, I’m more than happy to even get a whiff of news that I can play my favorite game of all time on a more modern, accessible system. The big question now is what this news means for a potential console release. Could this same port also see a release on the PS4, or will Persona 4 Golden remain exclusive to PC and Vita for now?
We’ll keep you up to date if any news for or against the rumor occurs, but otherwise, just plan to keep an ear open this Saturday for the PC Gamer event.
