Persona 4 Arena Is Region Locked
Hide your kids, kid your wife! The worst possible thing in the universe is true!
Published: July 6, 2012
After several days of running through the blogosphere and various forums, the rumors are now fact. In a statement released by the game publisher Atlus just moments ago, the company confirmed that Persona 4 Arena will be region locked.
The press release goes on to mention that despite this unexpected turn of events isn’t a declaration of war on their fans:
“This is NOT the beginning of a new Atlus policy, nor do we view it as a precedent or a slippery slope. If anything, your determination and dedication to what you believe in has certainly stood in the face of that. This is an isolated case, a situation precipitated by a number of factors, some of which are simply out of our North American hands. Moreover, and perhaps there is no way to convince our fans of this considering the magnitude of the betrayal many are feeling, but we are not doing this out of malice or a desire to control.”
As to why this action was taken, it can be said that it was simply to protect sales in each territory as well as the strong value of the Yen compared to the Dollar:
“The unforeseen consequence in all of this was that we had a version of our biggest game of the year releasing within a couple weeks in two territories, both identical in content, but at radically different price points. Importing, as great as it is for gamers who otherwise can't get access to a title, can also cannibalize the performance of a title in one territory to the benefit of another.”
While the content between the two versions will remain the same (even including the Japanese voice overs in the North American release), the games will remain separated by what hardware can run said software. The game’s online multiplayer also remains unaffected. There is no specific mention of the European release will be region-free or not.
“Region locked” isn’t a term that is often heard associated with the PlayStation 3. In the past, gamers could import a given game from any region (i.e. North America, Asia, Europe) without any consequence to their gaming experience. Other platforms, including the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, feature region protection on many of their games.
Persona 4 Arena releases in Japan on July 26th and North America August 7th.
The press release goes on to mention that despite this unexpected turn of events isn’t a declaration of war on their fans:
“This is NOT the beginning of a new Atlus policy, nor do we view it as a precedent or a slippery slope. If anything, your determination and dedication to what you believe in has certainly stood in the face of that. This is an isolated case, a situation precipitated by a number of factors, some of which are simply out of our North American hands. Moreover, and perhaps there is no way to convince our fans of this considering the magnitude of the betrayal many are feeling, but we are not doing this out of malice or a desire to control.”
As to why this action was taken, it can be said that it was simply to protect sales in each territory as well as the strong value of the Yen compared to the Dollar:
“The unforeseen consequence in all of this was that we had a version of our biggest game of the year releasing within a couple weeks in two territories, both identical in content, but at radically different price points. Importing, as great as it is for gamers who otherwise can't get access to a title, can also cannibalize the performance of a title in one territory to the benefit of another.”
While the content between the two versions will remain the same (even including the Japanese voice overs in the North American release), the games will remain separated by what hardware can run said software. The game’s online multiplayer also remains unaffected. There is no specific mention of the European release will be region-free or not.
“Region locked” isn’t a term that is often heard associated with the PlayStation 3. In the past, gamers could import a given game from any region (i.e. North America, Asia, Europe) without any consequence to their gaming experience. Other platforms, including the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, feature region protection on many of their games.
Persona 4 Arena releases in Japan on July 26th and North America August 7th.
