'Persona 5' release date, news: Game delayed until April 4, 2017

A promotional image for "Persona 5." Atlus

It looks like gamers won't be getting a copy of the English version of "Persona 5" on Valentine's Day next year. During a live stream on Wednesday, developer Atlus announced that the Western release of the game would be delayed a few more months. The game is now scheduled to hit the shelves on April 4, 2017. "Persona 5" already came out in Japan last September.

"The Japanese release of Persona 5 smashed all our expectations, and as a company, we decided that we owed our fans the very best effort to make Persona 5 our gold standard in localization. Practically, this means redoubling our QA and localization efforts, even returning to the studio to record previously unvoiced lines," Atlus said in a statement.

"Persona 5" has already gone through a number of delays, so this can be a little frustrating for fans who have been waiting patiently for it to come out. Well, the good news is the Western version of the game will have dual audio options, which means players get the original Japanese voiceover track along with the English one. The Japanese dialogue will be available as free downloadable content.

Some gamers do enjoy playing games with their original voice tracks, so this will certainly appease those people. Atlus USA's PR manager John Hardin explained that fans have been asking for this, so they gave in.

"This was something we especially wanted to do for the Atlus Faithful, the ones who still appreciate our English dubs and respect all the effort we put into localizing," he added.

Hardin also revealed that Atlus will bring a playable demo of the game to the PlayStation Experience event in Anaheim on Dec. 3 and 4. So, anyone who wants to check out the game before buying a copy can go there.

"Persona 5" is set in Tokyo and it features a group of students who become vigilantes called the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

News
Archbishop of Canterbury calls for peace in first Easter sermon
Archbishop of Canterbury calls for peace in first Easter sermon

Dame Sarah Mullally has used her first Easter Day sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury to renew calls for peace in the Middle East. 

Easter Sunday and the hope of resurrection
Easter Sunday and the hope of resurrection

The hope of the resurrection is especially precious in a world filled with grief, violence, uncertainty, and pain.

Activists warn Syriacs being erased in Syria
Activists warn Syriacs being erased in Syria

The Syriacs are mostly Christian.

New Iraq report urges stronger action to protect Christians and other religious minorities
New Iraq report urges stronger action to protect Christians and other religious minorities

Jim Shannon MP said the report records both “the progress observed” and “the ongoing challenges” that remain for religious minorities seeking to live in safety and freedom in Iraq.