Atlus considered a Persona 3 Reload port for both the OG Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, but opted for only the latter as the JRPG's devs couldn't manage both "without any significant delay"

Cropped official box art for Persona 3 Reload, showing protagonist Makoto holding an Evoker. — (Image credit: Atlus / Sega)

As Atlus and Sega gear up for the Switch 2 release of Persona 3 Reload – one that's arriving over a year after the JRPG's initial launch in 2024 – developers explain they initially hoped to port their game to both of Nintendo's handheld consoles.

Although Persona 3 Reload is coming to the Switch 2 on October 23, it's notably not going to release on the base Nintendo Switch. Creative producer Kazuhisa Wada, who acts as the chief director of Atlus' Persona dev team P-Studio, reveals why in a recent interview with 4Gamer (as translated by Persona Central afterward). First speaking on his thoughts regarding the Switch 2 launch, Wada says requests for a port have poured in "for a long time."

The lead admits, "We were very happy to see such positive reactions both domestically and internationally," saying devs had "the desire" to bring Persona 3 Reload to Nintendo consoles "from the start." However, "simultaneous development was simply too difficult at the time" – and that's sort of still true, apparently. In fact, that's partially why only a Switch 2 port is in the works right now and not also one for the normal Switch.

"The main reason" the Persona 3 remake is coming to just the Switch 2, as Wada puts it, is that devs "wanted to deliver the game to everyone as soon as possible." As they "aimed to release it as fast as we could, without any significant delay from the other versions," it didn't make sense to try and undertake both a Switch port and a Switch 2 launch at the same time. It wasn't practical and "would delay the release by at least a year more than originally planned."

That's not the only reason the studio didn't bother with a Switch version, though. Persona 3 Reload director Shigeo Komori chimes in that devs actually tested the game on the console, but soon "realized that a direct port would be challenging performance-wise." They would've apparently had to "completely rebuild" parts of the JRPG to make it work with Nintendo's older hardware, and set the Switch 2 release back by quite some time.

"So with our desire to deliver the game as quickly as possible, we made the decision to focus exclusively on Switch 2," concludes Wada. "Originally, we were planning for a release early next year, but thanks to smooth development progress, we are able to release it this October. We're really happy to be able to release it earlier than originally planned." As a Persona stan myself, I'm pretty certain the community is just as happy.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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