It’s about time SEGA realizes that re-releasing their acclaimed titles in a ‘Definitive Edition’ isn’t doing wonders for them.
In a recently published summary by SEGA’s second-quarter financial briefing, they mentioned that despite record-breaking sales from franchises like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, they still fell short of expectations. The company speculated that its tactic of releasing definitive editions could be the reason why sales aren’t up to par. This is likely caused by players being hesitant to buy the vanilla versions, as they only need to wait a year or two for the best edition.
Notable examples from SEGA’s tactics were, of course, the Persona series. It’s been widely known by the community that Persona titles aren’t just stuck to their vanilla formats. Persona 5 came out in 2016, but an enhanced edition called Persona 5 Royal came out 4 years after, adding some of the game’s best moments, including additional scenarios, characters, and an epilogue that adds over 30 hours of content.
Now, it seems like SEGA is realizing that this was a problem, which is honestly a good thing for consumers, including me.
I have always felt that there’s simply no point playing the vanilla version of an Atlus game when an even better version comes out in just a few years. But as a huge fan of the Persona series, I always play the original version first to save me from the risk of spoilers in its base story. But as time went on, more and more Atlus titles have embraced this re-release strategy, notably the new Shin Megami Tensei V entry, and having to replay the game sours the overall experience for me.
I remembered having to go through all the tedious dungeon-crawling moments in Persona 5 Royal. I’ve already been through these levels in the vanilla version, and having to run through 80 hours of its main story again just to play an additional 30-hour expansion was a cheap maneuver. The only things that make it interesting are scenarios involving Kasumi’s character, but even that is a classic case of drip-fed content to maximize their impact when the Royal chapter finally happens.
The Persona remakes, on the other hand, are a different story altogether. They’re essentially the real ‘definitive’ ways to play the game rather than mere re-releases. Persona 3 Reload was a success because it rebuilt everything from the ground up with a story DLC as an extra purchase rather than buying it again. The upcoming Persona 4 remake will likely follow the same suit, but it would depend if Atlus wants to fit the "Golden" storyline to the base game or not.
Rumors about a Metaphor: ReFantazio re-release are still circulating, but there hasn’t been any concrete proof of its existence besides the occasional hearsay. I’m actually worried if it’s going to be a real thing, as there was obviously cut content near the game’s third act. If that’s the case, Metaphor: ReFantazio is going to turn up like another Royal situation.
I’m optimistic, so I’m sure SEGA came to a harsh realization that this business model no longer works. This is making me excited for the imminent Persona 6, and we would likely get a full game with increased budget just to avoid the dreaded re-releases.
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