While it wasn't exactly the best kept secret, Atlus has finally revealed that Persona 4 Golden is available now on PC. Golden, which admittedly had a handicapped lifespan on PS2 and Vita, will now receive the new life it deserves on a much more accessible platform. Outside of Catherine Classic, Atlus has never really published its most iconic franchises on PC before today, but with Persona 4 Golden already out, it's a good sign for JRPG fans on PC that future Persona titles could be coming to the platform.
Atlus has never shied away from porting any of its franchises to PC, despite its release history largely tethered to PlayStation consoles. There's never been an exclusivity deal of some kind brokered for Persona, so it is possible that the incredibly popular series could be sending more titles to PC in the future. Whether it's more ports or further entries, the future of the series may be bright on PC.
Persona 4's Release History
The release of Persona 4 Golden on PC is a special case in a lot of unfortunate ways. Two years after the PS3 had already been released, the original release of Persona 4 came out for PS2 in 2008. Many PlayStation fans were already two years removed from even owning a PS2, much less willing to buy a game for a system they no longer used. For that reason, Persona 4 never even really had a chance in the west, despite being a smash hit in its home country of Japan. Even though it was technically the highest selling game on PS2 that year, it didn't really have that much competition on a then-retro system. Hardcore fans of Persona would've held out for Persona 4's release, but basically any average player or newcomer would've understandably moved on to PS3/Xbox 360 by 2008.
Then eventually Persona 4 saw a definitive release, Golden, on the PlayStation Vita. This was yet another unfortunate case for this JRPG being released on a console where Persona 4 wouldn't get the mainstream attention it deserves. Persona 4 Golden made several important improvements both gameplay and graphics-wise, fitting in extra Social Links as well as taking advantage of the better horsepower compared to PS2. But the PlayStation Vita was a handheld console, and it was a huge commitment for Persona fans who didn't already have a Vita. Regardless the game didn't fail sales-wise, considering Persona 4 is one of the best JRPGS of all time, but it never truly got the attention it deserved because of these arbitrary obstacles.
Atlus and PC Gaming
Of course, much of that could be remedied with the PC release of Persona 4 Golden, which could carry on future Persona titles as well. Atlus has never been averse to releasing games on hardware that isn't a PlayStation, at least not outwardly. Catherine was the first Atlus game to be published on PC, along with the spin-off series Persona Q releasing on Nintendo 3Ds. Sega, Atlus' parent company, has consistently expressed interest in releasing games on the PC platform as long as fans express interest. Persona 4 Golden seems to be a reflection of this effort, likely serving as a gauge of interest and whether or not it'd be worth it to port further titles to the PC platform.
Sega Europe's senior vice president John Clark has previously stated that games like Yakuza and Persona are "in the conversation" for potential releases to PC. Atlus has even sent surveys to fans for feedback on interest for ports to Switch, as well as a separate survey for PC interest. It's also worth noting that a rather popular PS3 emulator "RPCS3" was issued a DMCA takedown notice when the project released gameplay footage of Persona 5 running on PC. Atlus did issue a statement noting the interest in a PC port of Persona 5 (and the franchise in general), but noted that "For now, the best way to experience Persona 5 is on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3."
Persona's Future on PC
Now it seems Atlus is heeding the call for Persona on PC with Golden's re-release. It lends credence to Atlus' aforementioned statement, and that the publisher understands there's a vested interest on the PC platform for Persona and other titles. Plenty of other Sega titles have come to the PC like Yakuza and Sonic the Hedgehog, so there's at least no inherent limiting factors that would prevent Atlus from publishing more games on the platform. Even though Persona 4 Golden was a special case in terms of how it was released, other games like Persona 5 Royal have already seen great success on PS4, meaning a PC port would be especially encouraging.
Considering Persona 5 Royal just came out for PS4 earlier this year, it'll probably be a while before Persona 5 finds its way to PC. Not to mention Persona 5 Scramble, which still doesn't have a localization date for Europe and North America at this time. Atlus will likely give those releases some time to breath before considering a Persona 5 release on PC. That being said, it does mean there's no reason why the publisher shouldn't release Persona 5, or other Persona games on PC. There's a clear interest in Persona games making their way to the platform from fans all around the world. Just look at Steam's Global Top Sellers rankings as of 6/13, and Persona 4 Golden shot right up to the top in no wasted time.
If ever Atlus or Sega needed evidence that Persona fans want to play the game on PC, Persona 4 Golden is it. Regardless of the circumstances behind the fourth game's initial releases, JRPG fans want more on PC than the publisher may have assumed before.
Persona 4 Golden is available now on PC via Steam.