The latest Famitsu included a list of over a hundred Japanese developers and their hopes for the new year.
One of the more interesting interviews came from Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino, in which he talked up the game’s storytelling, as well as what inspired him to even get into game development in the first place.
His keyword for 2016: “I want to create an experience that will touch your heart.”
“I personally feel that games can be different when compared to movies and books in that players can feel they have real impact in the end result from the choices they make. I also feel my games are not a waste of time, instead they are engaging and unique. This is what inspired me to become a game developer in the beginning. I think that my next game reaches those ideals, if only a little bit. I’ll be satisfied if this game can be enjoyed by all the fans who keep waiting.”
Hashino also talked about the game’s release date, and is quite confident that they will be able to deliver the game by its summer release window.
Persona 5 is set to release in Japan this summer, with a North American and European release date yet to be announced.
deadeye
January 10, 2016 at 11:06 pmI love hearing this kind of stuff. The guy is obviously very passionate about what he does.
Annie T. Mood
January 10, 2016 at 11:06 pmDidn’t they call this kind of thing “games are art”?
Heavily Augmented
January 10, 2016 at 11:07 pmMan, don’t you just love it when developers actually want to make an impactful game with care and compassion rather than just a sloppy half-assed sequel to a popular franchise?
Alexis Nascimento-Lajoie
January 10, 2016 at 11:17 pmThe more Hashino talks about this game the more I want. He is clearly putting his blood, sweat and tears into it.
I just hope the game lives up my insanely high expectations.
Tubsiwub
January 10, 2016 at 11:27 pmFunny enough, I don’t have extraordinarily high expectations for this game. But I do want it to be fantastic all the same.
Nagato
January 10, 2016 at 11:28 pmHaven’t had a piece of media touch my heart since I read Onani Master Kurosawa.
Cy
January 10, 2016 at 11:45 pmHopefully that means it has a satisfying ending(s). Not something the Persona series is known for.
No_Good_Names_Ever
January 10, 2016 at 11:47 pm“I also feel my games are not a waste of time, instead they are engaging and unique.”
Does he have mother issues or something?
No_Good_Names_Ever
January 10, 2016 at 11:48 pmHey, as long as it doesn’t mean trying to tear out your inner otaku like with FE, Persona fans shouldn’t have much to worry about.
Master Bating
January 11, 2016 at 12:07 amTell me about your mother
Fear Me I Am Free
January 11, 2016 at 12:38 amI liked the ending, but that manga had one of those plots where a major plot point had me disliking it for the rest of the story for some reason.
Fear Me I Am Free
January 11, 2016 at 12:39 amI just hope I will get to have a full experience that isn’t butchered to hell by censorship. It’s sad that’s the main thing to worry about now a days.
AmyStarling
January 11, 2016 at 12:41 amI’m sure he and his team will deliver and I can’t wait for it but at the same time I really don’t want 5 to be milked as much as 4 was.
Fear Me I Am Free
January 11, 2016 at 12:44 amI personally liked 3 more, but I’ve seen a lot of people say 4 is better than 3.
deadeye
January 11, 2016 at 12:54 amTo be fair, the spin-offs were really good.
I would not mind at all if we got another fighting game and rhythm game out of this.
MusouTensei
January 11, 2016 at 1:43 am“I also feel my games are not a waste of time”
You never waste time when you are enjoying yourself.
tccboss
January 11, 2016 at 2:04 amI hope this game will be good.
Thesimpleway
January 11, 2016 at 2:29 amHope we get the premium Japanese VAs for that. If MC-kun isn’t voiced by Jun Fukuyama it will be impossible for the game to touch my heart :)
TRUndercover
January 11, 2016 at 6:34 amThis is amazing to hear… I’ve got incredibly high expectations for this entry. Funny thing is; looking back at all the Persona games I’ve played so far (spionoffs excluded); I have never been disappaointed. Even once.
Hashino and his teams always have this knack of giving each entry its own flavor distinct from all the rest.
Feniks
January 11, 2016 at 6:55 amTangentially related: Persona 4 came out in 2008 on the PS2! It has been a while.
Feniks
January 11, 2016 at 6:56 amYeah getting sick of Ubisoft and their AssCreed every year.
Lee
January 11, 2016 at 7:23 amI don’t think any Rpg in the world could top Persona 4. So my expectations are medium
Lee
January 11, 2016 at 7:25 amWith an M rating, it can pretty much get away with anything. The political correct bs has to stop
djluke_1993
January 11, 2016 at 8:08 amPersona 5: Dancing all day
UUDDLRLR BASTART
January 11, 2016 at 8:23 amI wish he would pay as much attention to those archaic stick in 80’s game mechanics also.
bateruchan
January 11, 2016 at 8:44 amAre you talking about turn-based combat? Because you realise Hydelide came out in 1984 right? And Dungeon Explorer was 1989? Those are very much action-based RPGs. I do hope you’re not insinuating that a method of making games is “archaic” when it existed alongside the alternative.
Chocolate ISISCream
January 11, 2016 at 8:52 amI wish we would at least get a Persona 3 Golden or something. I still have no clue whether to play P3P or FES, and I’d rather only play one of them.
Dgnfly
January 11, 2016 at 10:27 amIf he wants to touch Fans hearts how about assuring japanese dub for the west with this game, considering english dub is stone cold.
Wonderkarp
January 11, 2016 at 11:32 amsounds like she’s passionate about what she does too
PixelBuff
January 11, 2016 at 11:40 amIt’s nice to see the time and dedication they are putting into this game, after all the news about how SE is shitting out a piece-meal FF7 remake, it makes me understand the delays will result in a single, complete experience and not some cut-up episodic bullshit.
Joey
January 11, 2016 at 11:43 amThe English dub was perfectly fine in P4. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker here,
Barmont
January 11, 2016 at 12:12 pmHeart symbolizes Life on Video Games. Life = Vita.
“Persona 5 Director Wants to Create an Experience That Will Touch Your Heart” = Persona 5 for Vita will have touch controls and will be announced at the next PlayStation Experience.
Dnetwork7
January 11, 2016 at 2:50 pmConception 2 reference tho lol
Badmojo7
January 11, 2016 at 3:38 pmPlease bring it to PC!
Gillman
January 11, 2016 at 4:36 pmDid they already do that with Persona 4?
bateruchan
January 11, 2016 at 6:44 pmPortable also took out being able to move freely in the dorms and such… a P3Golden would be awesome.
TsukuyomiMagi99
January 11, 2016 at 8:28 pmTell that to DOAX3
TsukuyomiMagi99
January 11, 2016 at 8:29 pmAn artist should always strive to do better. That’s something missing in today’s industry.
Urobolus
January 11, 2016 at 9:47 pmThis is gonna disappoint so many Persona fans, while at the same time have them defending it to the death.
No_Good_Names_Ever
January 12, 2016 at 12:29 amMy mother’s a saint, now lets talk about YOUR mother, Schlomo.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/efc442cdcafc1b5229fa6a8215b7eedc36275dde3a6207fd39e5ace605d58acc.jpg
Obbliglol
January 12, 2016 at 10:54 amIf you want to touch my heart, you better give this game a PAL release, boyo. If Idea friggin’ Factory can release a nice limited edition for Nep, then Atlus can release a nice limited edition for goddamn Persona.
Please don’t use Ghostlight tho x
Etherblaze
January 12, 2016 at 3:14 pmThe amount of effort (not just work, but love as well) that a lot of Japanese game devs put into their games already touched my heart.
Even if it doesn’t end up being a really good game, I can tell that I’m going to love it, anyway.