The remake of the cult Japanese RPG Persona 4 is looking more and more real, at least according to voice actor Juri Loventhal.
The American actor has confirmed that he has not been called back to reprise the role of Yosuke Hanamura, whom he played in the classic Persona 4 and spin-offs. He even begged to become Yosuke again, but Atlus refused. However, the most interesting point in his words is that he directly talks about the Persona 4 remake.
«And for those who keep asking, no, I will not be returning as Yosuke for the Persona 4 remake. I have asked. I asked. Maybe I even begged, but they don’t want me to come back», — Lowenthal wrote in his post on BlueSky.
Atlus has not officially announced the remake, but it is a direct signal that the game is already in development. In addition, fans associate a possible remake with the P4re.jp domain (it is related to the series). The domain was recently updated — similar activity took place before the launch of Persona 3 Reload.
https://t.co/f7QKo2AEQG domain just got updated again. Reveal is going to be soon pic.twitter.com/T5VwY7HENQ
— Soni (@Msoni187) April 21, 2025
As for the non-return of voice actors — this is not the first time the studio has prevented the return of the original «voices». In Persona 3 Reload, the English-speaking cast was completely renewed. Lowenthal himself once voiced the protagonist of Persona 3, but in the remake he played only a minor character — Eiichiro Takeba. Along with Lowenthal, Erin Fitzgerald, who voiced Chi Satonaka in Persona 4 Golden, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Persona 4 Dancing All Night, will not return.
The reasons for this casting decision have not been announced. It is only known that video game actors — including Lowenthal — are still on strike under the auspices of the SAG-AFTRA trade union. They demand protection from being replaced by artificial intelligence. Although there is no direct evidence that the strike affected the selection of actors for the remake, the context plays a role. Against this background, we can recall the situation with the voice actress Eloy, which can be quietly replacedand how EA was forcing «votes» with Apex Legends «to dig themselves a hole».
Another interesting thing about Persona 4 is that in March 2024, singer Shihoko Hirata, who performed key songs in the game, hinted that she was recording something new. It’s logical to assume that it’s also for the remake. Little by little, the puzzle is coming together: domain renewal, new songs, actors not returning — work on the game is underway.
After the success of Persona 3 Reload, remaking the 4th part seems like a logical step. Probably, Atlus decided to update the voices of all the characters at once, as they did in P3R. Fans assume that Atlus will show Persona 4 at Summer Game Fest on June 6, which is when insiders promise several Japanese announcements. So it’s quite possible that an official confirmation is not far off.
At the same time, another release in the franchise is being prepared — the mobile and PC game Persona 5: The Phantom X will be released on June 26, 2025. In the meantime, fans of the series are also waiting for the announcement of Persona 6, as more than 8 years have passed since the release of P5. Previously released RPG from the developers of Persona — and immediately conquered critics. For her, they are were inspired by «The Lord of the Rings», but ultimately gave up.
Source: Nintendo Life
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