The director of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster has revealed how the game's famous crossover with Devil May Cry managed to happen. The crossover made meme history thanks to the iconic "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series" sticker that appeared on the box of the original version of Nocturne.
There were three versions of Nocturne released in Japan. The first one was the base version of the game. The second one added a ton of content, including Dante from Devil May Cry as an enemy and potential party member. The third version of the game replaced Dante with Raidou Kuzunoha, who was the main character in another RPG series released by Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus. The version of Nocturne that was released on PS2 outside of Japan was the Dante version, and his presence was proudly proclaimed on the box. This was due to Nocturne being the first entry in the series released outside of Japan, and since it was already a difficult and obscure game, a recognizable character like Dante made for good promotion. The initial footage of Nocturne HD only showed Raidou, suggesting Dante was cut from the game, but it has been confirmed that he will return as paid DLC.
Nocturne HD is due to be released next month. The official PlayStation Blog has an article about Dante's inclusion in the original Nocturne. Director Kazuyuki Yamai has discussed how the crossover came to be. At the time, crossovers between publishers were rare. Even the Super Smash Bros. series hadn't done it yet, as Brawl (with Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake) wouldn't be released for another few years. Yamai and his team thought Dante was a natural fit for the game, due to how the Demi-Fiend (the protagonist of Nocturne) is part demon and Dante is a devil hunter.
“The dev team initially thought it was a crazy idea to pursue a crossover across two different publishers. However, they were also captivated by the idea of the two characters’ encountering one another and their ensuing battle. So they brought the proposal to Capcom, and the rest is history!”
It should also be pointed out that the art director of Nocturne would go on to design Dante and Virgil's Devil Trigger forms in Devil May Cry 3. This had led to speculation by fans that Dante's presence in Nocturne was a result of an agreement between Atlus and Capcom, but it seems that wasn't the case.
Regardless of the circumstances behind the crossover, the Dante sticker became more well-known than Nocturne itself. This will hopefully change when Nocturne HD is released and more fans have a chance to play the game on modern systems. The Persona spin-off games helped push the Shin Megami Tensei franchise into the limelight, so there is an actual fanbase waiting for Nocturne this time around. Dante might be featured in Nocturne HD, but fans will have to pay for the privilege to fight him in 2021.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster releases on May 25, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Source: PlayStation Blog