Homophobic Persona 5 Scenes Getting Fixed in Royal - But Only for the West

Persona 5 Royal, a re-release of the critically acclaimed Persona 5 with new content and characters, is set to launch sometime in March 31st. We already know that the game will have updates and changes – hence the first sentence – but Atlus, the developer, and publisher, is using this re-release as an opportunity to fix some of the problems the first game had. Kind of.

While Persona 5 never exactly skirted away from controversy – like blackmailing your teacher into dating you – some moments were cringy than others. Players may remember these two from the game:



Aaaand here.



That’s not exactly the most positive depiction of homosexuals in the video game, what with the stereotypical behavior and/or threatening to kidnap a minor. Lots of people were less-than-enthused about these moments in the game, and Atlus has decided to use the Royal re-released to fix these moments.

Speaking with IGN, Atlus Communications Manager Ari Advincula had this to say:
 

“We actually were able to go through some of the lines that players may not have received as well, look at that feedback, and then [update it] for the current generation.”

She also explained that updating scenes like this was one of the first things she wanted to do when she joined the team, and she’s excited that Royal was “a chance to make it right.”

Which, okay. Admirable enough. But a few caveats: for one, it’s not quite right to say you’re updating it for the “current generation” – the base game was released 4 years ago, that’s still very much this generation. The generation hasn’t changed that much, and it was inappropriate even when it was released. Second of all: while they’re making a big fuss out of fixing it for the West, they’ve done no such thing for the Japanese release of Royal, which makes the whole thing ring a bit insincerely. It’s not as if Atlus believes that it’s “wrong” as they don’t want to offend an audience they must perceive as more sensitive.

So… it’s not so much “nice” as it is “a less-than-savvy PR move.” But fine. Whatever.