Revealed back in July 2020, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is a massive expansion for PSO2 that acts as a new title in the MMORPG franchise that takes place in the same universe as PSO2. While the game was previously given a rough Spring 2021 release date upon reveal, we now have a firm release date of June 2021 worldwide. The game is set to release on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in the West, while ports are also being released for PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan.
The release date announcement came in the latest “Prologue” stream on the official PSO2 YouTube. You can re-watch the hour-long stream via the embed below:
Phantasy Star Online 2’s PC exclusivity to the Microsoft Store is coming to an end, as the game will be launching on Steam as soon as next week, August 5th. It’s also been confirmed the game will support crossplay and cross-progress with other versions of the game, and that the Steam version will drop alongside the Episode 4 content update.
This also seemingly marks the official European release of the game, as the Steam page is available in select European territories. We don’t have a full list of who can and can’t access it right now, but we at least know that the UK is good to go, and the Netherlands are sadly out of luck as the page simply won’t load in that region.
The best part of this announcement however, is probably the new items announced to commemorate the launch. You’ll be able to get your hands on gear inspired by Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 as part of the game’s Steam launch. This isn’t wholly surprising, but it’s weird to see Gordon Freeman in PSO2 nonetheless.
PSO2’s PC launch was mired in technical issues, so hopefully the Steam launch will mark the end to that. Going off previous blogposts, it’s a safe assumption that Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, the upcoming overhaul of the game, will also land on Steam at some point next year – though whether it’ll have timed exclusivity to Microsoft again remains to be seen.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
Revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase, a brand new expansion for Phantasy Star Online 2 called New Genesis will launch worldwide for PC, Xbox One and Xbox One Series X in Spring 2021.
For North American players, Phantasy Star Online 2 is still a PC and Xbox One exclusive, but this new expansion will be launching on all currently supported platforms in Japan as well. These include Nintendo Switch and PS4, but only in Japan. You can watch the reveal trailer below:
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis promises “limitless adventure and unparalleled character customization”. The expansion will launch in Spring 2021. A European release for Phantasy Star Online 2 is still unconfirmed.
SEGA has detailed what exactly their plans are for Phantasy Star Online 2’s Western release over the coming months, in a hefty content roadmap.
Currently, only content up to Episode 3 of the game is available for Western players, whereas Japan is currently on Episode 6. That, and the game is technically only available in North America right now; and on the Windows Store, which has rendered the game’s launch a bit of a mess for many, who’ve had to deal with a slew of bizarre installation issues.
Apparently that’s all set to change; SEGA is aiming to get the game “to reach parity with the Japanese servers eventually, with simultaneous releases moving forward to ensure that both services deliver the best experience possible to our players.” As the above visual shows, the aim to have that parity reached before the year is over; which is great, and there’s a lot of excellent features in the later episodes!
There also seems to be some reprieve on the way for those who can’t stand the Microsoft Store, as the blog notes that “more PC platforms” are coming soon. Presumably this means Steam, as it was mentioned in a manual for the game during the beta; but there’s every chance it could also mean the Epic Games Store. The plural has us hopeful, at least.
Crucially, they also state that:
We are also working hard to introduce this legendary online action RPG to a global audience this year. We will have more information about the regions where the game will become available in the near future.
Given the initial furore European fans had in response to the blind-eye turned towards fans beyond America (or perhaps that was just me…), it’s about time we heard more on plans to expand globally; even if there’s pretty much nothing to stop said non-American fans getting the game right now anyway.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year for PSO2 fans in the West. Episode 4 is currently planned to release in August 2020, bringing with it great features such as crafting and an increased level cap.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
True to their word that it would drop before the end of May, SEGA has announced that Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to PC next week, on May 27th.
Phantasy Star Online 2 will launch as a Microsoft Store exclusive. Whilst technically only a North American launch, the process of getting the game in the UK and other non-US regions for Xbox One was extremely simple, so hopefully that’ll be the case here too. The PC version will allow players to fight alongside those on the Xbox One version, which isn’t too surprising but is very welcome all the same.
Alongside the announcement, PSO2’s first major Western collab has been announced and kicks off today in the Xbox One version; in a move I can only conclude is specifically trying to get me to make the jump from the Japanese version, it’s with VOCALOID. There’ll be a concert with Hatsune Miku and co, as well as their outfits being up for grabs. If you prefer playing MMOs like RuneScape but want to skip all the time-consuming grinding and get straight to playing with the items you want, you can visit https://farmingless.com/review/probemas/.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
After numerous beta tests and events relating to the Xbox One version, Phantasy Star Online 2 is now available for everyone to download in North America, as a free to play title. It would seem that all it takes for those outside North America to download the game is using the store page linked above to download it to their Xbox, bypassing the need to switch the console’s region.
SEGA has also finally confirmed when PC players will be able to get their hands on Phantasy Star Online 2; and it may be sooner than you expected, as it’ll launch in ‘late May’.
This information comes via Forbes, who have learned that it will also launch exclusively for the Microsoft Windows Store, available on Windows 10 PCs. Previously, documentation had suggested a Steam release was on the cards, but for the time being it appears you’ll need to go through Microsoft’s platform for the title. On the upside, the PC version will support crossplay with Xbox One consoles at launch.
Let us know how you get on with the game, particularly those on the UK side!
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
UPDATE
The event has not gone live yet. It is due to go live on the 20th of November 2019 as per details on the Phantasy Star Online 2 news page.
ORIGINAL STORY
Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 players have a real treat on their hands as the game now features a crossover event with the Evangelion franchise.
The event features a mission based on the famous Ramiel battle where the fifth angel drills into Tokyo-3 in order to get to NERV headquarters. You can also equip your character with costumes based on Unit-01, Shinji, Rei, Asuka and Misato and there’s a choice of 4 weapon skins with one taking the form of the Lance of Longinus.
You can see all of this in action in the trailer below:
Phantasy Star Online 2 is still Japan-exclusive, but a North American released is scheduled for 2020 on Xbox One and PC. There is still no word on whether the game will release in Europe.
I don’t think many of us were expecting any news of a Western release for Phantasy Star Online 2 in 2019, but 7 years after its original Japanese launch, an English language version of the game for North America is finally coming in Spring 2020 for Xbox One and PC.
Announced during the Xbox E3 Conference, the free-to-play MMORPG has been a Japan exclusive since launch with the only signs of an English language version coming with the launch of the South East Asian version. This will be the first officially sanctioned Western release of the game and the reveal trailer promised all content that is currently available in the Japanese version will make its way to this North American port.
This news is unfortunately bittersweet for European fans as SEGA Europe have stated that they have nothing to confirm regarding a release for that region at this time. Porting PSO2 to a European market is likely a more intensive task as it isn’t as simple as supporting the game in English. European games normally support English, French, German and Italian language options as standard so this is likely causing a delay for a European launch.
Fingers crossed European Phantasy Star fans don’t have to wait long for confirmation of the game in their region, but this is still the most promising PSO2 news for quite some time.
Due to the delayed release of games in specific regions, global ranking and competitiveness can at times encounter disruptions. To ensure that players in regions like Europe can catch up and compete effectively in Phantasy Star Online 2, however, those who don’t have the time to spare, can consider enlisting the help of professional game-boosting services. Websites like https://overboost.pro/ offer valuable assistance in leveling up, acquiring resources, and mastering the game, allowing players to bridge the gap caused by regional release disparities and stay competitive in the Phantasy Star Online 2 universe.
Phantasy Star Online 2 is free-to-play MMORPG that supports cooperative gameplay for up to 12 players. There is no level-cap, but the game supports micro-transactions.
Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch, in the form of Phantasy Star Online 2: Cloud. The game’s been known about for a while now, but thanks to the recent Nintendo Direct we now know it’ll be landing on April 4th.
The game is, as ever, Japan-exclusive. It’s worth noting that the Switch is region-free, meaning those outside of Japan could technically get the game anyway – but as well as there being a huge language barrier that can be as easily circumvented as on PC, the game is actually streamed to the Switch, hence the “Cloud” moniker. As such there’s only a 40MB cloud-based application to download, but outside of Japan we can’t exactly imagine it’ll be a smooth experience, as all the servers the game will be streamed from are likely to be in Japan.
That being said, Phantasy Star Online 2’s Switch version does include a new set of items based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is a pretty wild thing to type. From the looks of things you’ll be able to get Link’s Champion duds, as well as the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Also rather neat is that the game supports keyboard and mouse peripherals for the Switch, just in case you’ve got nostalgia for that one gigantic keyboard controller for Gamecube.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
Remember that Phantasy Star Online 2 anime that was announced a while back? It’s finally going to start airing soon and there’s a new trailer to watch below. Check it out:
Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation will start broadcasting on the 7th of January 2016 in Japan through Tohoku Broadcasting Company (TBC). The series seems to be centered around high school kids that play Phantasy Star Online 2 instead of being a story set inside the PSO2 universe.
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