Persona director apologises for long wait, talks up "unexpected element" of spin-offs

Persona 5 and series director Katsura Hashino has apologised for series fans for the long wait for this weekend's Persona announcements, and said Atlus looks forward to giving them new ways to experience the Persona universe.

"This past year or so, we’ve caused you fans who’ve been supporting Atlus to worry, and we haven’t been able to find the right timing to bring you any announcements, so we truly apologize for that," Hashino told Famitsu, as translated by Siliconera.

“With the thought of being able to present a new game to you all soon, we zealously continued development, and are very grateful to have been able to make such an announcement this time.

"The development staff are working together as one in hopes of making each title something that can leave you with pleasant memories. Again, we will keep making games for you fans who continue sharing your love for the games we make, so thank you very much for your ongoing support."

The director also addressed questions regarding Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, a 3DS dungeon crawler with similarities to Etrian Odyssey, commenting that like fighting game Persona 4 Arena - and presumably new rhythm action game Persona 4: Dancing All Night - it's an opportunity to introduce new kinds of gameplay.

“Just like the experiment of making a fighting game based off the Persona series in Persona 4 Arena, which was also well received by fans, the plan of making Persona Q came from wanting a game that could bring further joy from an even more ‘unexpected element,’” he said.

“While we are implementing Etrian Odyssey’s system into it, just as the name implies, Persona Q will be a completely new title, but first and foremost, it’ll be for the fans of the Persona series. However, since next year will be the 25th anniversary of the Atlus brand, we’d also like to use this opportunity to spread the essence from other titles apart from the Persona titles.”

In Japan, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth arrives on 3DS in June. Persona 4: The Ultimax Suplex Hold heads to PlayStation 3 in northern summer. Persona 4: Dancing All Night is due on Vita in northern autumn. Persona 5 is also coming to PS3, in northern winter. Western release dates have not been confirmed.

Thanks, Joystiq.