Persona 5 will come out in Europe - and it'll be published here by Deep Silver.

The news comes as a surprise, given Persona developer Atlus is owned by Sega, which has a European publishing operation of its own.

But Deep Silver, publisher of Saints Row, Dead Island and Homefront, has signed a European publishing agreement not just for Persona 5, but for multiple Atlus and Sega titles.

Deep Silver will publish physical and digital versions of Sega's 7th Dragon 3 Code: VFD, and Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse and Persona 5.

Here's a nothing statement from Naoto Hiraoka, CEO of Atlus USA, Inc., and senior vice president of publishing at Sega of America:

In entering this partnership with Deep Silver, I am truly delighted we will be able to release our titles in the European regions. Not only does the deal span multiple titles, but Deep Silver has a strong presence in European and PAL retailers. They have a strong passion for being able to deliver physical games to our fans in those territories, which we hold in high regard.

Atlus, which has a rocky relationship with European gamers, went a bit further in its press release announcing the deal:

Take a seat real quick, Europe; we need to talk. I know we haven't always gotten along together, but that's the past. And the past is the past. We're looking toward the future. And it's a bright one, because Atlus USA and Sega of America are partnering with Deep Silver to release multiple upcoming titles in Europe.

We don't yet have a release date for Persona 5 in Europe, but it's due out in the US in February 2017. Hopefully it won't be long before Persona 5 arrives on our shores.