Persona 3 Update: Female P3P Protagonist Rumors Debunked

Persona 3 Reload's FeMC Exclusion: Atlus Explains Why Kotone/Minako Won't Appear

Atlus producer Kazushi Wada has once again clarified why the popular female protagonist (FeMC), Kotone Shiomi/Minako Arisato from Persona 3 Portable, is unlikely to be added to Persona 3 Reload. This follows previous statements expressing the significant challenges involved.

High Development Costs and Time Constraints

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Wada revealed that while the inclusion of the FeMC was initially considered, particularly during the planning stages of the post-launch DLC, Episode Aigis - The Answer, it proved ultimately infeasible due to budgetary and developmental limitations.

The full remake of the 2006 JRPG classic, released in February, features many signature elements, but the absence of Kotone/Minako has disappointed many fans. Wada emphasized that incorporating the FeMC was simply not a viable option. He stated, "The more we discussed it, the more unlikely it became. The development time and costs would not have been manageable." Even DLC was considered impractical, with Wada stating, "since it is not possible for us to release P3R with the female protagonist in this window, we just can’t do it." He expressed regret, saying, "I'm really sorry to all of the fans who were holding out hope, but it is likely never going to happen."

Despite the FeMC's popularity and fan expectations for her inclusion, either at launch or as post-release content, Wada's comments strongly suggest it's highly improbable. He previously highlighted to Famitsu that adding her would be significantly more demanding and expensive than developing Episode Aigis, stating, "For a female protagonist, I am sorry to say that unfortunately, there is no possibility. The development time and cost would be several times longer than Episode Aigis, and the hurdles would be too high."