Some things never change, and modern Atlus is certainly one of those things. Ahead of the game's release on the 2nd February — it's close! — the Japanese company has confirmed that Persona 3 Reload is getting a full spread of day one DLC. Costumes, alternate battle music, and additional personas are up for grabs.
At the time of writing, we don't have the official UK or US pricing, but buying every DLC pack in Japan will set you back roughly 4,000 yen, which equates to around £20 / $25. That's not quite as bad as what Atlus has served up in the past with games like Persona 5, but it's still disappointing when you consider that Persona 3 Reload is already a full price remake of an old release.
The individual DLC packs are as follows:
- Persona 5 Phantom Thieves outfits for all party members
- Persona 5 Shujin Academy outfits for all party members
- Persona 4 Yasogami High outfits for all party members
- Persona 5 Persona Set 1 adds nine Phantom Thieves personas
- Persona 5 Persona Set 2 adds nine evolved Phantom Thieves personas
- Persona 4 Persona Set adds three main personas
- Persona 5 Royal Music Set adds six tracks
This is all pretty much what we've come to expect from Atlus at this point, but we just think it's a shame that cool extras like costumes and personas have to be locked behind a paywall. If you recall, even Persona 5 Royal — an enhanced re-release — launched alongside a borderline treasure trove of DLC. It wasn't until the release of Persona 5 Royal on additional platforms, like PS5, that everything got bundled together with the game — and even then, there was no upgrade path for those who already owned Persona 5 Royal on PS4.
What do you make of Atlus and its questionable DLC practices? Shake your head in the comments section below.
Comments 81
Remaking a game, only to fill it with paid DLC. Yeah. They can go screw themselves. rAtlus have become such a greedy, scumbag of a company.
And before people say "But its just optional costumes, Personas and music". It doesn't matter. Its stuff that could clearly have been part of the game but was decided to cut out only to sell for some cheap cash-grab. I am so sick and tired of this.
Sega and rAtlus have become the new EA/Ubisoft with all their crappy DLC practices.
Every bloody time Atlus! And it's not just these skin, persona and music packs there is story content from P3 not in these versions. It isn't the definitive version.
I am not buying this. Waiting for the inevitable Persona 3 Reload Royal/GOTY edition in a few years. Shameful.
To be fair it's pretty much all cosmetic if there's anything to really complain about with Sega it's locking new game plus behind a $15 paywall for Infinite Wealth but I'm not really seeing anyone talk about that
This doesn't really bother me. Now, Infinite Wealth locking New Game+ behind a pay wall, that's some shady stuff.
@themightyant isn’t this the one one GPU? Just play it there. Saves giving them your money.
Vote with your wallet.
But like others will say, at least it’s just cosmetic stuff
Considering its music and costumes unlike P5T dropping a whole story dlc on launch.
Meh.
There’s something called “you don’t have to buy”.
Whiners, smh
You really want something to complain about? Make an article about Yakuza locking New Game Plus behind a paywall, not this.
Nothing new from atlus jrpgs and tbh doesn't really upset me all that much. From the looks of it, it's mostly p4&5 related. As much as I loved 5s soundtrack, I don't want to listen to it in another game nor look at its personas
By the time I'll be able to get it, the deluxe edition or whatever has all this dlc will be decently discounted
They do this because they know the sheep will gladly open their wallets for this content that should already be in the game.
@Judal27 all these DLCs come with the Digital Premium Edition, which I preordered. I think it comes with the physical Aigis Edition as well.
I don’t really care about buying such stuff. In some JRPGs, If I can get a women’s bikini pack for less than £2 I will. Just for something nicer to look at for 100+hrs, but otherwise I’m good.
of course. wait for the golden/royal/definitive edition in 12 months time. won't be surprised if there are half a dozen spinoff games in the pipeline for p3 as well
now, here is the good news. based on the fan survey that apparently made this game a reality, persona 3 was tied with persona 2 for the remake treatment (based on votes). this means that persona 2 remake is a very real possibility in the future which is great news since it is most in need and deserving of one.
That dlc doesnt interest me at all. Nor does a partial remake (it doesn't have FES does it?). I want Persona 6 or a new SMT game. If I wanna play P3 I'll fire up the PS2 and play the FES edition.
@danzoEX I don't think NG+ is just that. It looks like a whole new mode. Obviously it would be better if NG+ was separated from whatever the hell that dlc is. The last two GoW games are a great example of free Ng+ with added content but Sony and SM are much more stable financially than Sega.
Im not buying those outfits.its not story dlcs.word up son
Well this is just the norm now for the "EA" of the east. I won't be giving a penny to Atlus going forward, even with this game I will be renting it or buying second hand.
Glad Atlus keep getting exposed. Award winning all new game Elden Ring released at £49.99, and what do we have here...a remake of an old game at £59.99 with less content... awful awful awful! GTAV FameOrShame Simon voice
@RudeAnimat0r I thought that happened in 7, I guess it was just reported during 8's announcement or somethiny.
Im not overly fussed about this given its music tracks and costumes - my biggest concern is that they release Persona 3 Sapphire in a years time - which given past performance is most likely - particularly given content is missing.
This game has a grocery list of DLC before release
Infinite Wealth has NG+ locked behind a premium edition
Just why Sega
It is ONLY cosmetic but it's on principle that people should complain about it. Yeah it's just outfits and some music that most won't care about BUT some people (like me) enjoy using them and while it's one thing to drop these 6-12 months after releasing the game it's another to have them there day 1. Why is it so expensive as well? It's more money than Granblue and Resi 4 Remake was on release but it isn't quite as egregious as new game plus behind a paywall, that's some scummy move right there regardless of it being a bit more. They just shoved it on the more expensive versions to push those that want it to eek extra dough. Yes they need to make money, yes they aren't a charity but there is customer goodwill which increase customer retention and gives positive brand recognition. SEGA are apparently dumb to this concept and repeatedly make dumb move after dumb move, Sonic Superstars being the most recent....until now.
@JPEGMakima Yakuza/LaD fanboys won't dare admit how scummy that franchise is at times.
There was no upgrade path for PS4 to PS5 but all DLC had Become Free of charge
@themightyant yeah I was going to buy it day one but this coupled with the fact that FES isn’t included? Nah I’ll wait for the complete edition.
Modern gaming bizz.., that with subs.
@themightyant Of course they will make a definitive edition, it will include the FES content and Atlus will say it's what the fans wanted as their excuse/reasoning.
@themightyant That edition will be €60 again in getting sick of this nonsense. I don't mind simple costumes or musicpacks DLC but things like Personas is just bad.
@JPEGMakima First time i've heard of that for Infinite Wealth that's ***king bollocks, deserves it's own article and a LOT of pushback.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner It is on GPU but to be honest i'm not a fan of playing 100+ hour games on sub services as I play them slowly and then they take them away. Would rather buy it in due course and not have the time pressure.
@themightyant The first LaD had the same bs going with NG+ being like £1 and then later raised to something like £10. It had a lot of pushback and articles and well it clearly did nothing. rAtlus/Sega clearly does not give a crap cause people obviously keeps buying into it sadly.
@themightyant
You're being generous with those few years, I'll give it a few months until P3R FES appears.
Also between this and LAD:IW stuff I think SEGA wants out of some deal they signed.
@rawzeku I remember there being so much push back on Asura's Wrath back in the day (which basically had the ending locked behind DLC) that we thankfully never went down that awful timeline much.
But this is my first time knowing that about either LaD games so it can't have been too widespread in the press. It's true I haven't played a Yakuza game since PS3 so don't read all the articles on those games but I keep my ear pretty close to the ground on gaming news. Needs a LOT more pushback imo.
To be fair. . . To be fair. . . To be fair . . .
Sign me up for some Atlus slander, they deserve it all! They haven't been the same since their pivot to Xbox, still waiting on PS5 versions of P3 & P4 that Series consoles got. I will play this game when it's $20 and under 👍
It's nice to see Koromaru in a different outfit.
Gamepass baby!!
I've actually found the DLC personal kind of break the balance of the game on previous Persona games so I'll easily ignore this nonsense.
Yeah this is just kinda crummy, but lets face it a bet most big Persona fans, including fans complaining here, already pre-ordered the base game, or went and pre-ordered the deluxe edition, which these DLC's are most likely for anyways. Just another way to get some more money day one from mega fans
This is bs. And I saw some people say LAD: infinite wealth locking NG+ behind a paywall, I doubt that. People said the same about Yakuza like a dragon, guess what? NG+ wasn't locked behind a paywall in that. The people betting their life on that were wrong . Anyway I hate remakes that have dlc, I'll buy the PS3 remake in a sale, I don't care about the dlc
Yeah, no unless they make Femc playable, I have have no interested in this and I don't care if they make Fes (The Answer) they can make book/manga of that. For this it a remake it need but not the remake I want!
Guess they gotta try to make some money off of all the people that play it free on Game Pass. I'll wait until P3 Reload Royal Complete Edition comes out to buy it.
@devildragon2k23 Their own website literally says its part of the more expensive editions. And you may wanna do a quick google search cause yes. The first LaD had NG+ behind a paywall as well.
I don't have any incentive to buy this DLC from the 2 most milked Persona games 4 & 5
For those complaining it's like they haven't played persona since P4 😂 these dlc have been and always will be *****. Yes complain on principle but of all the dlc extras that are added to modern gaming these are really nothing burgers. They add nothing and alter nothing fundamental to the game. Benefit is it's on game pass so £7 to play is good enough for me tbh. Never understood the rage for these dlc because even if they were Included In the game for free I wouldn't use them. The personas break the balance and the outfits break the immersion.
I actually do not mind, costume/music dlc on day 1, but stop charging full price for ppl that already bought your games on PS4 for example, give them the upgrade path.
Stuff like NG+ and so on should be included day 1 and never behind a pay wall, especially not, when there are trophies for platinum are involved.
@devildragon2k23 The NG+ in Yakuza like a dragon was actually locked in paywall in the Asian versions. They removed that in the western version though. Now, SEGA added this in LaD8 globally.
I joined this site in 2014 but this is actually the first time I posted here due to how ridiculous this article is.
Honestly, if you're struggling to justify purchasing these OPTIONAL DLC pack, you're not the target market.
I love Persona games and these are the series I tend to spend an upward of 200 hours with. A digital deluxe edition cost me about $140 CAD after taxes, which works out for about 70c per hour. I'm fortunate enough to make way more than that and the entertainment value ratio I'm getting for this pack still significantly better than my daily coffee I purchased for work. And yes, I will absolutely double dip if they ever remake FES in P5 engine.
It's the same reason I didn't bat an eye purchasing the Digital Deluxe version of Infinite Wealth and the Digital Deluxe version of Granblue Fantasy.
Again, if you're struggling or whining about these OPTIONAL DLC pack, you're not the target market and SEGA knows it.
None of it is story related and its optional so who cares?
Persona has a crap ton of dlc hell the royal re-release of p5 had extra dlc added
On one hand, yeah this sucks and is also expected. On the other hand, I genuinely do not care. This is how videogames work nowadays, and we can't do anything about it. I'm not going to sit here as a grown-ass adult whining and crying about it. But I can see the gamer dudebros who are as fragile as their wallets in the comments here aren't of the same mind.
Removed - inappropriate; user is banned
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
A reminder that Atlus are scum. Don't give them your money.
I wish DLC would just disappear forever. Instead we’ll have a very frustrating gaming future.
Full price? Full free on Gamepass?
This could easily have been some unlockable rewards in the game, what a shame.
Yelling at clouds.
I have no issue with one of the worlds best developers selling optional (the keyword) DLC. You can also play the game on Gamepass for significantly less.
Good article for engagement though I'll give you that OP.
If remakes keep getting 10/10 and GOTY nominations then why not. Companies will only do what we, the customers, will allow.
And sadly, we allow exactly this.
Im pretty sure theres enough fans of animated schoolgirls in the world to pay for all 25euro dlc they can think of.
@PinderSchloss Theres DLC and then theres DLC.
Look at From Software games DLC, Cyberpunk or Witcher 3.
@species
The ones you mentioned are add-ons/expansion packs.
This article deals with miniscule size optional DLCs.
It'll be part of the installed space. But not usable. I don't use all the extras that came with them anyway, always stay with as is.
@Grimwood you can only play the game while it’s on game pass and you are subscribed. If you wish to own the game you pay full price. It’s quite simple mate 😂
@ZhuckelDror
I think witcher had a lot of free dlcs of the same nature.
But yea thats exactly my point. Theres different ways of doing DLC, not of all em are bad.
Edit- technically speaking all DLCs, hell the games themselves, are optional.
The problem is that the companies want you to buy them.
Diablo4 is a great example, optional dlc yes, but all other armors look like crap. So if you want to look cool you need to pay up.
@species True, and I’ve played some amazing DLC before, but it always feels a bit like getting punished for playing something at launch. I usually don’t have any interest in going back after a year.
Very Atlus thing to do. And that's why I'm happy to not buy this game until much much much later. Will play it when it drops price to dirt cheap, goes onto PS+ or they make a better version later on. Don't have the time for it anyway and Final Fantasy is getting my money instead.
Gamepass wins yet again
Comment section didn't disappoint.
Woo! Some of these comments! You almost forget how far people will reach to defend their favorite franchises/studios, even while being robbed in real time. The truth is: SEGA has been on a very bad path lately and its just kind of flying under the radar.
EA, Ubisoft, etc get rightfully shamed, Sony got bullied out of the live service game, many more examples and Sega is just casually packing remasters with microtransactions & paywalling NG+ modes.
Honestly? They're shooting themselves in the foot by calling it DLC. Name it Deluxe Edition and price it 2x higher like everyone else (including PS Studios) and people will pay without complaints or criticisms.
@RenanKJ lol so true
I don't see the issue. It's all random cosmetic stuff that doesn't belong in P3 anyway.
Of course, people who are ACTUALLY bothered by it would do well not to buy the game at launch. Put your money where your mouth is.
I think this happened with all their shin megami tensei games on 3ds, and all their persona games on the more modern systems so far. So not really surprising.
If the game sells 5+ million they might not feel the need to do this? But persona is still a relative niche.
I don't think 21 personas is "just cosmetic" though. It's a single player game, when did this become a thing?
Atlus is going to Atlus, as it has Atlused before and will Atlus again in the future. I’m not surprised.
It's not a day 1 buy for me then. I preordered like a dragon tho. When I finish that, will grab granblue fantasy. And then persona 3 at price drop hehe.
@Terra_Custodes
I don't think it's damaging to a product as long as it generates revenue.
@Terra_Custodes
Do you also think that all the extras that a car model can offer should be included in the base trim?
@Terra_Custodes
Can you elaborate why?
@Terra_Custodes
Deleting your own comments ain't cool bro...
@ZhuckelDror Take the win.
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