During Tokyo Game Show 2025, we had the chance to sit down with P-STUDIO Director Kazuhisa Wada and Persona 3 Reload Nintendo Switch 2 Director Yoshihiro Komori to discuss the highly anticipated port of Persona 3 Reload. The conversation revealed the careful balance the team struck between preserving what made the original special and introducing modern improvements that enhance the experience for both new and returning players.

Building for Multiple Platforms from Day One

One of the key challenges in bringing Persona 3 Reload to Switch 2 was ensuring the game’s signature UI—packed with information and stylish elements—remained readable across different screen sizes. Komori explained that the team planned ahead from the start.

“Persona 3 Reload was developed with lots of platforms in mind from the beginning, so we incorporated larger fonts from the beginning of this project, so you could see in a better high-fidelity TV mode, and you could also see without any trouble with the handheld mode. It should work on any type of screen, basically.”

The Switch 2 port itself came with its own set of hurdles. Development began a full year before the console’s release, which meant the team had to learn the hardware while simultaneously building the game for it. “The Switch 2 has both the handheld mode and the TV mode, and the internal kind of switch between the performances,” Komori said.

“We had to think about the graphics, how to incorporate graphics for these two different modes. So we checked the performance for different scenes and specific areas within the game on both modes, and tweaked it a little bit as we saw fit.”

Keeping the Heart of Persona 3 Intact

For Wada, the philosophy behind remaking Persona 3 was clear: preserve the authentic experience that players felt when they first played the original. “As a creator, many people might feel the need to make bigger, different changes to the stories and the characters, etc. But for Persona 3 Reload, we decided to keep off from changing too many different narratives and the character design aspects,” he explained. Rather than making dramatic changes, the team focused on deepening what was already there.

“There’re many ways to achieve newness, like to make it reborn again. And to me, I think that to make a better change is to make the game a lot deeper, and make it more sophisticated in a sense. So we decided to make slight changes to the stories in order to heighten the player experience.”

This approach extended to the visual presentation as well. The team replaced many of the original’s 2D animated cutscenes with 3D versions using motion capture, a decision that initially concerned some fans. Wada acknowledged the team was pleased with how players responded. “We are definitely glad that people embrace the new change,” he said, noting that the detailed character models and animations came with challenges in terms of cost and development time.

“If the cost and time allowed, we wanted to make more scenes.”

A Fresh Sound for a Classic Game

Persona 3 Reload’s music has made waves beyond the gaming community. The ATLUS Sound Team recently appeared on Spotify’s midyear Top 10 list of most popular Japanese artists overseas, and the track It’s Going Down Now earned a nomination for the Music Awards Japan. When asked about this recognition, Wada shared feedback from composer Kitajoh.

“He was very surprised since this hasn’t happened to him before, and he’s also pleased that his music managed to reach a wide audience.”

The decision to re-record the music with new arrangements and a new vocalist was intentional. “We definitely did a lot of talking outside and inside of development, and we decided to incorporate new singers to bring in a new kind of fresh air into the whole music,” Wada said. The team chose Azumi Takahashi for her youthful energy.

“Azumi Takahashi can sing in this very youthful type of way in a good sense, and so we decided to bring her youthful kind of energy into the music tracks, and it was a perfect fit for us.”

Wada was careful to acknowledge the original vocalist’s importance. “Of course Yumi Kawamura from the singer from the original Persona 3 is also definitely an integral part of the whole series, and we might see her get on stage in future events, hopefully.”

The Japanese voice cast returned for Persona 3 Reload despite a 20-year gap between the original and the remake. Wada explained that re-recording was necessary because the text had been adjusted and new events were added.

“We kind of thought about just adding a little bit more voice recordings, but that could be a little bit difficult, so we decided to just record the whole thing over again.”

The result, according to Wada, showed how the actors had grown. “There’s not much of a difference, however they have definitely internalized the voice actors and the dialogue better, so I could say that the acting had been improved a little bit more.”

Modern Gameplay Meets Classic Structure

While all the characters received attention in the remake, Wada singled out two in particular. “Personally, I feel that Yukari and Junpei have undergone more significant changes than the original,” he said. He also shared an anecdote about rapper Lotus Juice, who contributes to the game’s music.

“He told me that his favorite character was originally Fuuka, but it changed over to Mitsuru from this installment of the series. The whole sort of living in the dorm situation kind of changed the whole vibe.”

Persona 3 Reload incorporates gameplay improvements from later entries in the series, including the Shift system (similar to Persona 5’s Baton Pass) and the new Theurgy ultimate skills. Wada explained these changes as natural improvements. “After developing Persona 5 Royal, we definitely thought that we should include these kinds of quality of life improvements. These were essential to the play.”

The Theurgy system adds strategic depth to battles. “Theurgy is a very important and useful element in battle, especially against bosses and difficult enemies. Theurgy gauge is also different, it behaves differently across different characters, and that’s also an interesting part that we included in the game.”

One feature that didn’t make it from the original was multiple weapon types for the protagonist.

“Having multiple weapons was something that was included in the original Persona 3, and we did want to include that in the Reload as well, but if we actually were to do that, there were many difficult hurdles that we had to overcome, so we decided in the end to drop that.”

Wada also clarified that the Episode Aigis DLC wasn’t cut content. “The new DLC Episode Aigis was developed after the whole main game was developed and finished, so this was completely another additional content, not something that was dropped from the main game.”

Why Persona 3 Works as an Entry Point

For players new to the series, Wada believes Persona 3 Reload serves as the perfect introduction. “I feel like Persona 3 lays the foundation for the current Persona series. The main gameplay elements and how the game feels foundational for the whole series. For that reason, I think Persona 3 is the perfect starting point.”

He also addressed concerns about the numbered titles. “As the series have numbers, these numbers can be a little bit intimidating for first time players, but we tried to make it so that even if there’s 3 in the title, it’s still good as a starting point before jumping into another title.”

The development of Persona 3 Reload provided valuable experience for the team. “Persona 3 Reload is of course a remake, and the remake has been very much warmly approved by the fanbase. For future remakes, we could definitely think that it’s kind of laid the foundation,” Wada said. The worldwide simultaneous release across multiple platforms also gave the team important insights for future projects.

Komori, who worked on the original Persona 3 in music and other areas, shared his thoughts on returning to the project after two decades.

“I have been the porting director for this Persona 3 Reload, and I was also involved in the original Persona 3 as well, while making music and other places, so after 20 years, I’m really happy to be able to work on this project.”

He emphasized the team’s approach to modernization. “Rather than just making the quality higher, we went towards a direction to make Persona 3 more ‘Persona 3-like.'” The mix of original staff and new team members worked together to deliver an experience that respects the source material while feeling fresh.

Looking Ahead

The interview concluded with Wada expressing gratitude for the fanbase, particularly in Southeast Asia.

“As developers, what keeps us going is basically the fans and how they enjoy playing our games. We are very happy and very lucky to have many fans over in Southeast Asia as well, so we would like to continue to flesh out and make the Persona series a better franchise and Atlus as a whole as well.”

For players considering diving into Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2, the message from both developers was clear: whether experiencing the story for the first time or revisiting it after years, the remake offers a deeper, more polished version of the game that set the foundation for the modern Persona series.