Who said petitions don't work? Well, they really don't. Only sales numbers can compel a company to do anything, but I still say the petition to bring over Persona 3 FES, the expansion to Persona 3, to the states in April had something to do with the Atlus' decision to cave in to fans.
Persona 3 came out in August of last year. It missed getting buried in the deluge of holiday releases by a hair. Thankfully, Atlus fans gobbled up the game like it was manna from heaven. Most other gamers ignored the game where simulated suicide was the key component to not only the storyline but also the game's mechanics.
Forums were ablaze with people completing the 50-hour game in weeks after it's release. I imagine that some of these folk played until their eyes began to bleed. All the while, several of those hungry for more had gotten wind that Atlus had released a special addition to the game in Japan to celebrate it's success. P3 gamers salivated at the idea of new content and not needing to beat the game over and over just to get a fix. I was there with them. But hope was shattered when Atlus showed no signs of bringing the expansion over to the U.S.
Rumors popped up now and then, an English voice actor using Persona 3 FES as a credit on his website and things of that nature. But Atlus remained tight lipped about what they were going to do. I remember checking the forums daily for a new signs of hope. I gave up.
Now, when P3 fans had resigned themselves to playing the game repeatedly, or the really desperate started learning Japanese, Atlus answered their prayers to various deities.
I know Atlus is a game company and that they really don't care about the gamer's interests, and if it does seem that way it is just clever PR. But it is acts like this that make me want to believe the lie. Who knows maybe the Atlus execs do have souls. If they do have souls, I'm sure this game has earned them a ticket on the bullet train to hell, but they did make gamers happy and that's got to count for something.
