If there was any doubt remaining that Persona 5 had managed to finally pull the Persona series as a whole into mainstream popularity, it was soundly dispelled this past week thanks to the launch of Persona 3 Reload. Not only is the remake doing well critically, but it’s also managed to outdo its much-celebrated predecessor’s launch sales. Indeed, ATLUS has announced that Persona 3 Reload is now the fastest-selling title in the developer’s history, having sold over a million copies within its first seven days.
This might not seem like all that big of a deal; many hotly anticipated AAA games have managed this feat. Yet, this really is quite a huge achievement for Persona, since it’s actually been a rather niche series for most of its lifetime. That lifetime is quite long too; the very first entry, Revelations: Persona, was initially released all the way back in 1996 for the original PlayStation.
It had okay numbers for the time at a little over 200,000 copies sold during its launch week, but here’s the thing:this would be the series' best launch weekall the way up until the release of Persona 5 in 2016. Persona 5 itself only moved just under 340,000 copies across the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 duringitsfirst week, so for Persona 3 Reload to do more than three times that amount is really quite incredible.
What about the original version though? How diditfare at launch? Well, the original PS2 version sold a little about 127,000 copies in its first week, and its PSP port, Persona 3 Portable, sold about 158,000. Together, these total about 285,000 copies sold. So again, Persona 3 Reload is seeing an incredible amount of success compared to the original.
In fact, the (trackable) combined lifetime sales of Persona 3, Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portableare estimated at about 1,417,000 copies.If this number really does reflect the reality of the game’s run up until this point, then it’s entirely possible that more people will be enjoying Persona 3 over the next month or so than have played it over its entire 18-year lifetime.
One might be curious as to what about the game has made it such a hit. Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be the first full-scale Persona game to come out after Persona 5 Royal. After all, fans have been waiting quite patiently for the next one ever since, so even a remake of an older title is quite welcome. However, Persona 3 Reload is indeed a great game in its own right. Make sure to take a look at our review for all the details! As for those who’ve already jumped-in and need some help optimizing their experience, we have several guides capable of answering any and all questions.
Review: Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3 Reload may not be the definite version but it is an excellent remake of Persona 3
Persona 3 Reload: All Overworld Twilight Fragments Locations
These little blue sparkles on the ground can be found throughout the world.
