Persona 5: The Phantom X’s Western Release Has One Major Disappointment

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As a diehard fan, I can’t help but get excited about the upcoming addition to the Persona 5 series – Persona 5: The Phantom X. Unlike its predecessors, this game is a mobile gacha title that brings the classic Persona experience into a free-to-play format. It’s already been released in certain Asian regions like China, South Korea, and Taiwan, but English speakers have yet to join the fun. Luckily, the wait won’t be much longer as it’s making its way to Western shores soon!

In a recent broadcast, Atlus officially announced that “Persona 5: The Phantom X” is scheduled for global release on June 26, 2025, across PC, iOS, and Android platforms. However, it won’t be accessible in regions like Southeast Asia. Instead, the game will be playable in many Western countries and Japan. The international version of “Persona 5: Persona X” seems to encompass most additional content that has been incorporated into the Chinese edition of the game. Interestingly, an English dub won’t be included, which is unusual for the “Persona” series.

Persona 5: The Phantom X Will Not Have an English Dub

English Dubs Have Gotten a Bad Rap, But the Persona Series’ English Voicework Has Been Consistently Good

The discussion about whether subs or dubs are better has been a heated issue within the realms of anime and video game enthusiasts ever since the internet’s inception. While some individuals opt for enjoying entertainment with English dialogues when available, others find pleasure in consuming content in their original languages, through subtitles. To be honest, the choice to favor subtitles over dubs is quite reasonable. In the early phase of gaming, dubbing from English was often less than satisfactory, particularly for games originating from Japan. However, the standard of voice acting in video games has noticeably escalated over time.

Despite being nearly three decades old, the English dubs of the Persona series have consistently been top-notch, often surpassing the quality found in many JRPGs. Dubbing has been a part of the Persona franchise since its debut with the 1996 game, Revelations: Persona. While the first game’s English dub was somewhat limited, subsequent releases like Persona 3 and 4 featured extensive voice acting. Among all the games in the series, it could be said that the most memorable voice cast is that of Persona 5.

Although P5X Has a New Cast of Characters, the English VAs from Persona 5 Could’ve Made a Return

In 2017, the game “Persona 5” was launched internationally on the PS4, reaching unprecedented success and making it the most popular installment of the “Persona” series to date. Capitalizing on this popularity, Atlus produced numerous new “Persona” games that included characters from the Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG). Almost all of these games (with the exception of “Persona Q2”) were given full English voiceovers. Therefore, it’s a bit peculiar that the English dub is absent in “Persona 5: The Phantom X”.

In an alternate world and with new characters leading the story, Persona 5: The Phantom X does feature the original Phantom Thieves from Persona 5. If a dubbed version of this game ever happens, it’d require fresh voices for the majority of characters. However, some familiar voices will still be heard in the dub, saving Atlus from searching for new talent entirely. Though there’s speculation about adding English voice-overs to Persona 5: The Phantom X in a future update, the lack of it at launch might deter certain players from playing the game.

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2025-05-19 17:14