Leaked Footage Appears to Show a Remake of the Original Persona
Almost two minutes of footage that appears to show a remake of the original Persona has leaked online. The clip carries the subtitle "Be Your True Mind."
Atlus, the Japanese studio behind the Persona series, had not announced a Persona 1 remake at the time of Eurogamer's report. A leak is footage that gets out without the company's approval. The clip was uploaded on 31 October to Gofile, a file-sharing website, under a Japanese filename that translates as "Megami Ibunroku Persona Remake." IGN also reported that gameplay footage seemingly showing an unannounced Persona 1 remake had appeared online.
The menus and combat look like those of Persona 5 and Persona 3 Reload, the remake of Persona 3 that Atlus released earlier. The footage includes dungeon navigation, the exploration of maze-like locations that the series is known for. PersonaCentral also reported new artwork in the material.
Some details stand out for fans of the series. The clip contains a short social-link cutscene, the story scene that deepens a character's bond with the player, drawn in a graphic-novel art style. The protagonist is called "Boy With Earring," the name used for the main character of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.
The battle footage also shows small text in the top-left corner that looks like Unreal Engine debug text. Unreal Engine is a game-building software tool, and debug text is the technical readout developers often leave on screen while they work. Atlus used Unreal Engine for Persona 3 Reload, so the same tool is at least possible here. Nothing in the clip confirms which engine the game would use.
For players, the practical picture is simple. The footage is unofficial, and it is short. There is no release date, no platform and no price, because Atlus has not announced the game. Anyone who wants to know what the company plans will need an official announcement, which has not come yet.
Leaks of unannounced games happen often enough that studios usually say little about them until they are ready to share news. Until then, the clip is a glimpse of work in progress, shared by people who were never meant to share it.
