Is Persona 3 Portable getting a remaster for the Switch? Leaks, rumours, and more

Persona 3 Portable was originally released in 2009 (Image via Altus)
Persona 3 Portable was originally released in 2009 (Image via Altus)

This week at the TGA 2021, Atlus announced Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for Switch, PC, and PS4.

Despite Atlus' characteristic obscurity, the community had predicted a Persona title to be featured on TGA. This year marks the 25th since the release of Revelations: Persona on the original PlayStation. As the official Atlus West blog puts it:

We want to thank everyone who has supported the series through all these years. To thank you all, we’re preparing a year-long campaign from September 2021 to Fall 2022, as the “Persona 25th Anniversary Year,” and we can’t wait for you to see everything we’ve got planned for the festivities!''

After Persona 4 AU, which is a fighting game spinoff, it seems to be the turn for Persona 3 portable.


Leaker 'Zippo' hints at a 'multiplatform remaster' for Persona 3 Portable

Atlus has been displaying a pronounced interest in Switch releases of late. Starting with Catherine: Full Body, there have been a number of major ports released for Atlus' new favorite portable platform: Persona 5 Strikers, 13 Sentinels, and the Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster. Most importantly, Shin Megami Tensei V, which outsold all its competing nominations at TGA, was released as a Switch exclusive.

Nintendo Enthusiast's latest report on a new Persona 3 Portal remaster comes from Zippo, a leaker who had previously also predicted Persona 4 AU on the Switch.

The possibility of Persona games getting Switch re-releases and next-gen remasters was subject to speculation over a year ago. As the current trend of Switch releases from Altus puts it, these remasters are not of the mainline Persona games but the spinoffs thus far.

Persona 3 is a PSP port released in 2009, three years after the original Persona 3. Unlike Persona 3 FES, which adds an epilogue that focuses on Aigis, Persona 3 Portable added numerous quality-of-life improvements to the initial Persona 3 experience, including features from Persona 4, such as guarding. Additionally, all the animated cinematics in Persona 3 Portable had been replaced with in-game graphics, alongside cameos from Persona 4 characters and a Vincent Brooks easter egg.

The release timeline for the rumoured Persona 3 Portable remaster is unknown. Suppose it falls within the Persona 25th Anniversary celebration. In that case, it is unlikely for Persona fans to get their much-coveted definitive experience: a remaster that combines extra features from Persona 3 Portable and Persona 3 FES.