Persona 5 will arrive late in Europe and North America as Atlus has announced it to be delayed to Apr. 4 next year. This is to give more time for localization work to be done. Seems pretty sad news for Persona fans but the game creators have something to give for the said delay.
The announcement was made by Atlus on a livestream, to make up for being tardy, the company behind the game promises a dual audio feature for PS3 and PS4 when it's done with development. We Got This Covered also posted that a post on PlayStation blog says that Jonh Hardin, Atlus PR manager, understood the fans' disappointment but wishes to assure everyone the latest push back in schedule on Persona 5 will maintain the franchise's legacy on being a very good game.
Why is it delayed?
Hardin also emphasizes that Persona 5 has set the gold standard for Atlus when it rolled out in Japan and they want to put their best foot forward to ensure it will still be best when deployed to the western countries. The dual audio feature will come in a form of DLC for "logistical reasons", but Hardin ensures that it will be free as long as the game lives on.
Hardin ended his statement with, "This was something we especially wanted to do for the Atlus Faithful, the ones who still appreciate our English dubs and respect all the effort we put into localizing."
In Japan, Persona 5 is already available and the ability for it to switch between English and Japanese dubs is a big plus for the game and at the same time makes a good compensation for the western delay. Another consolation Atlus is giving away is a limited edition PS4 theme which is or was available for a limited time, depends on what time this article has reached you.
Reactions for the delay
On a lighter side, Kotaku posted something that you can decipher as either an angry reaction or just to lighten up the mood. The post says that the game is in its "193120392103192nd delay" as the original plan was to release it in 2015.
