With remake rumours swirling, Persona 4 fans are ecstatic while P1 and 2 fans have crossed the horizon of despair
As sure as night follows day, remakes that people buy will be followed by more remakes of games in the same series. So it's perhaps not too surprising that, following the success of Persona 3 Reload, the Persona community is currently hyper-sensitive to anything that could be perceived as a flicker of an ember of a hint that Atlus has got a Persona 4 remake cooking.
Today it's an Instagram post by Shihoko Hirata, the voice on P4 soundtrack bangers like Reach Out To The Truth; Time To Make History; and Heartbeat, Heartbreak (which has been looping in some corner of my brain for about 15 years now). Over on the 'gram, Hirata posted a photo of a recording booth that fans (via Rudiger__tw) clocked as the very same one used for a whole bunch of Persona games. Hirata didn't say which game she was recording for, only that it was "new," and then liked a bunch of comments on the post referencing P4.
Singer Shihoko Hirata, best known for Persona 4, revealed she's recording for an unannounced game.Her photo shows MIT Studio (Studio 2) in Tokyo—the same one from the Persona 5 Strikers "Recording Making-of" and where most Persona soundtracks of the past decade were recorded... pic.twitter.com/cjSMhe1jtRFebruary 21, 2025
Which, ah, is not cast-iron proof of a P4 remake, let's be honest, even if I do feel like a P4 remake is essentially inevitable at this point. Still, I have been amused by the response of the Persona community to the rumours. In one corner are mostly ecstatic P4 fans, thrilled to catch a scent of the hi-definition Yosukes of their dreams. In the other? An increasingly desolate fanbase of the first three Persona games: 1, 2 and Eternal Punishment, the PS1 black sheep of the family that weren't made under the directorship of Katsura Hashino, who took over the series from 3 onwards.
"I've been dying for a Persona 2 remake since 2013, man. How long am I supposed to hold on for?" asks one exasperated fan on Reddit. "We still do not have the proper Eternal Punishment. Don't get me wrong, P4 is probably the 'best' Persona all around, but it's fine as it is when there's Persona 2 that's rotting, just begging to be told to a new generation of gamers."
Others agree: "P1 and P2 are in way more of a need for remakes than P4 is," writes Falsus, "Like P4G is already great and you can play it on all major platforms."
And so on and so on. Meanwhile, Persona 4 fans are loving it. "Finally gonna be able to recc [Persona 4]" writes Realcbear. "P4 is my favorite game of all time, so I’m simultaneously extremely excited beyond belief and terrified to hear the new VAs," says gingersisking. All in all, just a big old party while the poor, benighted P1/2 fans beg Atlus for crumbs.
Which I do find darkly comic, I have to admit, although I'm on the side of the OG Persona people here. I love Persona 4 as much as the next guy who religiously watched the Giant Bomb Endurance Run when he got home from school as a teenager, but P4G is available basically everywhere and plays fine. I can't get too excited about a full-fat remake of it, and would much prefer to finally try out the first games in some form.
Unless the P4 Remake brought the original Chie back. Then I'm on board 110%.
2025 games: This year's upcoming releases
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together