Why I’m never buying an Atlus game at launch again - Reader’s Feature
Persona 3 – there’s now at least four separate versions (Picture: Atlus)
A reader is upset that Atlus always releases new editions of all its games, with extra content, making it pointless to buy the originals.
Last year, I read an interesting Reader’s Feature called I’m a huge Persona fan and I won’t be buying Persona 6. As a big fan of Persona I was confused by what this meant but when I read it I understood. It wasn’t that they weren’t excited about the new game, but that they knew that Atlus always has a tendency to release special editions of their games a year or so later, that are always better than the original.
It’s not just a question of not wanting to double dip, and basically buying the same game twice, (which is obviously why Atlus does it) but knowing you’re going to spend 100+ hours on a game that is going to be completely replaced by a superior version in a fairly short period of time. I don’t know how much free time you have but mine is precious, and I resent spending it in this way even if I am a fan of the series.
I didn’t really think about it before, but since then they’ve done it twice again already. Persona 3 Reload is missing obvious content that means it’s not definitive like it should be and is either going to be released as DLC or a special edition. And then, just this week, they announced Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, which is a new multiformat version of the original Switch-only game. It’s got tons of new content and is clearly better than the original, so why did I bother buying the first one?
Thinking about it more I realised they do this every time, sometimes more than once. At first, I thought they were just doing it because the game had been a hit and they’d got more budget to flesh it out. Or because it was on a new format and so they were able to take advantage of the tech more. Then I realised they were just doing it on purpose to make more money.
I know making more money shouldn’t be a shock but it just seems really underhanded and dishonest. I bet they purposefully leave stuff out now, to add back in later. Like when Capcom used to have DLC on the disc.
I don’t mind a director’s cut, or whatever, that adds back in new features, especially if it’s been several years, but that’s not what’s happening here. Persona 3 is 18 years old and they had all that time to plan a remake that includes all the content from the various different versions, except they left out some of the most important stuff on purpose.
What’s the point in buying Metaphor: ReFantazio this year when I know there’s going to be a special edition a year later? They might have caught me as Persona fan but there’s no way I’m going to take a risk on a new franchise, when I know how they operate now.
Creating that kind of distrust with fans seems like a really bad idea and I know I’m not the only one that now thinks of them this way. If Atlus was some little indie developer, just trying to make ends meet, I’d maybe understand but they haven’t got that excuse.
They’re just taking advantage of excited fans who like their games and rather than being rewarded for our loyalty we’re just being scammed for every penny we’ve got. I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose, it’s how every company works, but now that it’s obvious to me what they’re doing I’m going to be a lot more cautious about buying any of their games again.
By reader Robin
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