Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis DLC Won't Be Sold Outside the Expansion Pass

ign.com:

Persona 3 Reload publisher Atlus will not release the controversial Episode Aigis expansion by itself, meaning players have to buy it through the $35 expansion pass.

Speaking to Push Square, an Atlus spokesperson said "the three parts of the expansion pass will not be available separately, and only available as part of the full pass". These three waves include more background music from Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, additional costumes, and the Episode Aigis expansion, which included around 30 hours of extra content in the original Persona 3 which Reload remade.

While this poses no problem for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, who get the expansion pass free, those on PlayStation and PC will be required to purchase the full $35 pass to access any one piece of its contents. The expansion pass doesn't include any of the downloadable content already released at launch, however, such as costumes and additional content.

The expansion pass has already proved controversial as Atlus announced it just one month after promising Persona 3 Reload is a "complete experience". It then described Episode Aigis as the game's "final chapter".

Fans were originally concerned that Atlus would release the base game in 2024 and soon after announce an expanded edition, as it did with the original Persona 3 (with follow-ups called Portable and FES), plus Persona 4 (with Persona 4 Golden), and Persona 5 (with Persona 5 Royal), so the expansion pass was a tough pill to swallow for many.

Dubbed a "cash grab" by some who spent as much as $200 on the Collector's Edition, fans took to Steam to make their frustration clear. The page for the expansion pass, wave one of which is already available, currently has a "mostly negative" rating with just 20% of its reviews being positive.

"People who bought the $100 Digital Premium Edition or $200 Aigis Edition should be entitled to this," wrote Crazydog1435, referencing that most deluxe editions now come with the season pass included. "Love how this doesn't