Persona series director says Persona 4 Revival localisation team was key to the script

At Gamescom, Persona series director Kazuhisa Wada explained Atlus’s approach to Persona 4 Revival and emphasized the role localisation played in reworking the script.

Wada said the studio did not change the core of any character: "The characters are still who they are, saying what they're saying." He added that some original lines were unclear or ineffective at conveying the intended character portrayals, so they revisited and tweaked parts of the script to clarify characters' intentions. He cited Yosuke specifically, saying everything he says remains the same but a few parts were made "a little bit more gentle."

Wada also described how Atlus’s localisation process evolved after Persona 5’s mainstream success. Previously the company released games in Japan first and localised afterwards — Persona 5 debuted in Japan in September 2016 and released globally in April 2017. Following that success, Atlus moved toward simultaneous global releases for titles including Metaphor: ReFantazio, Persona 3 Reload and Shin Megami Tensei Vengeance. Wada said Persona 3 Reload was their first simultaneous release and taught the team a great deal; it became Atlus’ fastest‑selling game.

For Revival, localisation teams were brought in early: as soon as a scenario or script section was finished, it was passed to localisers so they could "work their magic" and ensure everyone worked in unison. Wada said having them in the room during early discussions allowed rapid and effective collaboration.

He added that characters had been further developed by post‑game spin‑offs — Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax — and that aspects from those titles helped inform the portrayals in Revival.

Wada did not claim these adjustments would definitively address all concerns from Western audiences; he said that remains to be seen.