Well, another day another infuriatingly tone-deaf move by Atlus, the creators of Persona 3 Reload and its divisive DLC. Despite categorically denying its possibility, Atlus did a 180 and announced it like a bombshell drop. Its hints were already there thanks to data-miners and hardcore sadist completionists (bless y’all). This backtracking got a lot of bashing from us fans, and Atlus was in damage-control mode. Way to go, internet, uniting for a common good, real proud of y’all.
But! Just when y’all thought, okay, fine, whatever, those who’re gonna get it, will get it later, right? Well, we’re here to tell you that Atlus just made the situation worse. Let’s get into that now.
How The Situation With Persona 3 Reload The Answer DLC Is Worse Now?
Ready for this? Here it is: **Ahem** So, Atlus announced earlier this month that the Persona 3 Reload DLC, The Answer, is not gonna be available to buy separately. The story content is locked to the season pass. Look, we’ve given Western studios a lot of flak for scummy predatory practices, so it’s only fair that Japanese devs get the same treatment. Well, those that deserve it, of course.
Here’s what’s so wrong about this whole mess. It wasn’t bad enough that Atlus lied to us about the DLC, so people bought a one-and-done game. It’s sales were doing huge numbers~ pretty good, right? Well, then, after lying to us, the people in charge at Atlus decided, ya know what? People like this new game, so let’s make that DLC after all. Oh, and it was being worked on from the start, by the way. You don’t make DLC like this that quick; it could have been part of the base game, too. But corporate greed and all.
Now, here’s the really scummy part. You paid for the game, right? Now, if you’re one of those uber-geeky gamer completionists, we’re not judging by the way; we’re too, you’re thinking, alright, let’s get Persona 3 Reload DLC after all. But then you go to the store, and you see, you can’t buy it standalone. No, you gotta fork over 35 bucks to get the season pass, which has soundtracks… yep. You’re forced to buy it all, which is just the worst. Who knows what they’ll do next, maybe pull a WB Games to adopt the moronic live-service model. It wouldn’t surprise us at this point.
What Should Gamers Do?
Well, that was the ranting phase out of our system for the Persona 3 Reload DLC: The Answer. Now, we’re gonna drop some tips for future reference when you’re thinking of buying anything from Atlus specifically. So, here’s what y’all need to know:
- Never buy an Atlus game on day 1. Let’s face it, these games will still sell like hot-cakes either way, but you can be smart and wait for the initial hype to die down
- Wait for the inevitable DLC announcements to show up, but then you don’t buy the game still! You’ll know why if you do this
- After a year or so or at least a few months later. You’ll see Atlus heavily remarketing that game with a bunch of new DLC and maybe the cut-content narrative, too. It’ll be like an enhanced version with a funky name, ala Persona 3 FES, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal. We’re betting good money same thing happens with Persona 3 Reload and its future DLC. Once this version drops, then don’t buy it still! Haha, got ya good, huh?
- Wait for yearly sales that offer steep discounts on the game, and then~ nab it for yourself. At least that’ll get the message across that people won’t fall for these swindling tactics from Atlus anymore.
Could More DLC Show Up In The Future?
Ya know, there’s this ominous thought in the back of our minds that somehow more DLC could come for Persona 3 Reload. It could be that in the next-next re-definitive re-re-reload edition will have the missing female protagonist, too. It’s honestly not an impossibility, and for a fraction of the cost of including that, they’ll make a ton of profit in sales again.
Supposedly, there could be original stories, too set in an alternate universe of Persona 3 Reload. Multiverse is all the rage nowadays, right? Despite it being done to death already. It’s the laziest kind of cop-out, too. But anyway, that’s about enough of that, we’re circling back to the present from diving into what-ifs. The long and short of it is that no matter how much Atlus tries to justify it, there’s simply no excuse for what they did. Aside from lining up their pockets and bleeding people dry of their money.
This kind of practice is really horrendous, and we need to take a stand against it. It’s not beneath Atlus to do this kind of thing. So, yeah, we absolutely believe there’s gonna be more story DLC in Persona 3: Reload. It’s horrible, but it’s a prevalent trend from Atlus. No matter how much sugarcoating they do, or release the admittedly catchy and vibing soundtrack, Atlus needs to do better. That’s only gonna happen if we let them know through our wallets. Though, making noise on social media platforms helps, too. We’re doing our part here, too.
Final Thoughts On The Messy Situation Of Persona 3 Reload DLC
Well, that’s our take on the issue of Persona 3 Reload DLC, yeah it’s so much a bummer that it’s happening. But infinitely more despicable is that Atlus continues to get away with its predatory model. They charge through the nose, milk the fanbase dry, and then think they can’t be criticized? Spoiler alert, Atlus! Offering sorry excuses doesn’t make the bad stuff just poof into the ether, ya know. If you really wanna make amends, start with sincere apologies, and transparency, too. That’ll be a start, cause your games are wayyy too pricey, so bring major discounts to them, too.
One other thing, too. If you’re gonna have DLC, maybe don’t lie about it? The deception will not go unanswered. On the flip side, if Atlus does do something craaazy good, we shouldn’t overlook their negative missteps, too. So, with that in mind, what do y’all make of this colossal mess by Atlus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, we’re looking forward to reading the flammable snark from the fanboys. Welp, that’s gonna do it for now, but check out our favorite steamiest dating simulator romance games with great stories for something similar to Persona’s social sim elements. You’re welcome, now peace out!
