Sega's Atlus: Persona 3 Reload to stay exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 despite earlier porting efforts

Persona fans looking forward to playing Persona 3 Reload on original Switch hardware may have been left out, as Sega’s Atlus officially revealed that the studio shelved plans to bring the game to the Switch console, making it exclusive to the Switch 2.

In a detailed interview with 4Gamer, Sega’s Atlus revealed that the studio wanted to release Persona 3 Reload for the Nintendo Switch 2 instead of providing widespread accessibility across the Switch platform.

The shift to Switch 2 exclusively came after Nintendo’s July 2025 hardware reveal during a surprise Direct presentation, showcasing 4K docked output, improved battery life, and backward compatibility with older Switch titles.

General Producer Kazuhisa Wada spoke alongside director Yoshihiro Komori and said, “There had been a lot of people hoping for release on Nintendo hardware for a while now. That’s why it was great to be able to make a proper announcement at Nintendo Direct. I was very happy that people both in Japan and overseas were pleased.”

While the team hoped to develop a port from the outset, the simultaneous development for both Switch platforms proved untenable given the time crunch. Wada explained the reason behind this:

From the beginning, we wanted to release it on Nintendo hardware, but simultaneous development was inevitably difficult. After the Switch 2 was announced, we started working on it, thinking, ‘We want to get the development console as soon as possible so that we can deliver it to people who want to play on the Switch 2.’

Atlus planned to release Persona 3 Reload’s Switch 2 version as closely as possible to the game’s existing platforms:

The main reason was simple: ‘We want to deliver it to everyone as soon as possible.’ We wanted to release it as close to other versions as possible. 

We considered a vertical multi-platform release for Switch and Switch 2, but we realized that would mean a one-year delay from our original plan. 

Komori explained that technical hurdles had doomed the original Switch’s port due to performance limitations. Furthermore, UI implementation was unfeasible, which meant creating something entirely different for the original Switch. Komori stated:

When we tested it on the Switch, we found that porting it directly was difficult in terms of performance. To achieve comfortable controls and graphics suited to the Switch hardware, the UI and art had to be completely redesigned. This meant the release date would be extended by a year.

This does make the situation a tricky one, even if it disappoints fans on the older console; if a Nintendo Switch port had been greenlit, Sega’s Atlus would’ve had to push Persona 3 Reload’s supposed multi-Switch release to 2026.