Atlus Announces Persona 2: Innocent Sin for North America

Over on NeoGAF, member creid noticed something strange about the Atlus Faithful email newsletter he received today: it has a most peculiar date.

That date? June 23, 1999. While the rest of the newsletter is fittingly retro, that date especially stands out; it just so happens to be the date that Persona 2: Innocent Sin was originally released in Japan for the PlayStation.

To this day, Persona 2: Innocent Sin stands as the only Persona title never officially released in North America. (It did, however, come out a number of years ago as a fan translation.) In Japan, Persona 2 was actually two separate releases: Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Sure, each one could totally stand as their own game, but they were really intended to be played as one larger whole.

So why did we get P2: EP and now P2: IS? There’s never been an official explanation released (that I know of), but the most poplar rumor is that elements in the game caused SCEA to reject it for release. (For anybody who thinks Sony of America can be a little bitchy about some of their rules for the PS3 and PSP, you ain’t seen nothing compared to their PS1 days.)

Because of this—getting only part two of a two-part game—it has always felt like there was a hole in the Atlus USA library.

But, there was hope! After the original Persona was resurrected via a reworked PSP release, fans hoped that maybe Persona 2 would get the same treatment. Then, it was announced: Persona 2: Innocent Sin Portable. If there was ever going to be a realistic chance for an official English release on our shores, this was going to be it. If this peculiar date in the most recent Atlus Faithful newsletter is indeed a reference to what many (including myself) are thinking it is, it now seems this dream could finally become reality.

Update: Atlus has indeed announced Persona 2: Innocent Sin for release in North America come Fall 2011.

[simpleviewer gallery_id=”18″]