The people at Kotaku has contacted SEGA about the possibility of the Playstation 4 version of Phantasy Star Online 2 coming West. This is the response they recieved from a SEGA representative.
“SEGA is currently not planning to release the PS4 version of Phantasy Star Online 2 outside of Japan,”
It has been over 3 years since SEGA announced at PAX 2012 that they would be bringing Phantasy Star Online 2 over from Japan on the PC and Playstation Vita. Then, silence. We got a few generic ‘it’s still coming’ answers from them, but this is the first time they have officially denied its Western release.
Talk about not caring about their own fan base, huh? It’s hard to stay positive when the Western branches don’t care about their core fanbase or their in-house Japanese IPs. Then when they do finally get around to releasing it they are surprised at the success these Japanese in-house developed games have. No shit! With this and the recent announcement that they reskinned ‘Puyo Puyo Quest‘ into some generic food puzzle game, SEGA is really making it hard to be a fan.
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Playing devil’s advocate here: Valkyria Chronicles PC is one of the rarer instances of a very Japanese SEGA game doing well, and this was years after the original release for a cheaper price. Binary Domain and Yakuza on the other hand generally don’t do very well in the west. Not that localizations of those games can’t do well, Atlus has been very successful in doing so. But it’s not hard to see why they’re cautious with localizing them.
As for PSO2: it’s likely a lot harder to localize than any other game SEGA could bring over. It needs servers and all of the new content that’d be added would need to be localized as well. It’d also need an active community.
Don’t get me wrong: SEGA’s been doing a poor job bringing games over and they definitely need to improve. Especially when one of their own subsidiaries (Atlus) is doing such a great job bringing every single one of their games over, in the US anyway. But it’s not hard to see why they wouldn’t, especially not a game that’s as difficult to release here as PSO2.
I would say that in Valkyria’s case, it had really good word of mouth when it hit the PC market, which had a wider potential audience…whereas with Binary Domain, it barely made a notice to anyone, and Yakuza which is on Playstation. Plus VC seems like the type of game that would fit well on PC, though I’d like to think that Yakuza would have more exposure if the series was on PC as well.
As for PSO2, I do agree it needs an active community, though that requires the content and more importantly support. I might be wrong here, but wouldn’t the PS4 version at least benefit on the server side with being on PSN? Regardless, what is really frustrating is the whole radio silence on the matter. If the upkeep cost is the big issue with bringing it over, why not just cite it and announce that it will no longer be brought over. It’s just really baffling to have such a long delay and not offer something such as “we’re still looking into logistics” or an actual update, though I don’t know what they can relay/disclose to the community.
I understand there are always issue with localization and they honestly can’t bring everything, but leaving people hanging on this for years and not take the opportunity with this PS4 port really just sour things.
Well, going by the output of Miku games, I’d say that’s a success, too. And the Bunko or whatever the fight game called getting released at all.
VC was getting word of mouth long before the PC release, too, so it already had good tracking going for it. Whether SEGA had any idea about that at all, well, that’s another problem from the same root, imo.
Well, part of building trust is being honest, so at least they didn’t have fans hold their breath with the news on this one.
Still sucks, though. When you think about it you still kinda have the right to be mad, ’cause SEGA took way, way, WAY too long to launch a NA/EU release, and even if they did release it right this instant, it’ll still be late.
At this point you just have to make peace with it even if SEGA doesn’t want you to, and then just look forward to games they have announced that have a release date, like the Miku 3DS game.
Where’s your beloved Haruki Satomi now ?
SEGA has a weird way of winning back costumer trust…
It’s obvious that if they didn’t bring it to the US yet, they wouldn’t bring the PS4 version to us either. I think they’re trying to see how SEA does with the game before giving it to us, but if you’ve seen it, it doesn’t look so bright. If one really wants to play PSO2, they would of done it already with or without Sega bringing it over. Been playing on the JP server for quite a long time now (a year c:) and AIDA made it possible for the game to be understandable for English Players by having English patches and all.
Surely they knew sooner than 3 years ago that it wouldn’t be happening, so why put it off this long? There’s gonna be a lot of people disappointed with Sega’s lack of faith and trust.
Sega should be ashamed
so disappointing
Really they should. I have never seen a company so bad
It’s just one game. Get over it. Just because sega is not officially releasing PSO2 doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. You guys act like 5 year olds.
Its not just one title though,SEGA has done this numerous times,nothing new here.This was a major title for SEGA,they should have brought this over long ago.
People seriously, it’s just one game they decided not to release western. Chill out. You guys are crying over nothing. Like really? Crying over one game you know won’t be released here. I feel sorry for Segabits most of all. Dumb idiots.
It’s not that it’s just one game, it’s the significance of that one game itself, Phantasy Star is one of Sega’s flagship IPs, and flagships should always get global releases, and if they can’t even do that, even when there is demand in the west for it, then it’s another sign of Sega’s terrible management yet again.
Oh boo hoo for you ya crying little prick. Let me play the saddest voilen for you while you cry a river.
I need to know when JSRF.
Sega barely exists in the Western world anymore, I wonder why they even bother?
Why not just completely shut down their western operations and and let third parties handle the rare international releases they actually bother with, it must be costing them more money to ran the western HQs than they generate by now – seeing as they do next to bugger all now.
It seems Sega will never rise again, they are far too out of touch with reality now, and not even a month after the son of the CEO gave that speech of their miserable 10 year track record, they’ve already gone and done this, their first big mistake already, they are simply just prolonging their inevitable demise, why not just get it over with if it’s going to happen anyway, better sooner than later.
I agree
They didn’t shutted down 100% of Western operations because of the PC studios, but Sega is already dead here since 2012.
Even before then, I remember in ’05, it was a struggle to even get them to give Outrun 2 a western console release, I remember they got a bit of hate for it in the publications that were covering it, they eventually caved into demand, but the point is, it’s like pulling teeth, fans shouldn’t have to keep pressuring them to release the things they want, it’s Sega’s job to supply demand whereever demand is, and part of that is in them being able to analyse market trends and capitalise on it, that’s the first law of economics, ‘Supply and Demand’, and they seem to be out of touch with even this very basic understanding.
Sega is so dumb. And that satomi can kiss a drug addicts hole. They lie like they always do. He is only a chairman to himself and there is no love involved in the industry of sega. The reason why sega is failing cause they are a bunch of retards filling their pockets. For as long as they can. I lost my love together when they gave us these long silences. That idiot who made up that mobile is the way to go. Quoting manhunt 2.
(Where ye gonna go run to now huh? Your cornered like a sick dog)
And thats sega. They are cornered like sick dogs. They went coocook with their mobile plans and now thet are full of regrets and cry to come back. And how ye gonna come back without proper studios? And talents that really cared? Fu sega fu.
As for me. It went so far that i do not even want a sega game. Thats how far i got with all the decevoir dissapointments. This company does not deserve any credit. All the games that DID come out arent even sega games. Coh and total war and alien isolation. Then we have really dumb pay to win mobile games full of ads. And sonic boom. And the real good ips and games are and were left to go astray. This company makes me really angry and aggresive
Okay Okay. we as Sega fan should launch a #give us Phantasy star for consoles. and i agree that satomi guy should step up his game, within sega there is so much money left on the table. If sega keep making the Nintendo 3ds port they are not going to make it. SEGA LEARN FROM YOUR RIVALS and look what Square enix and Bandia namco are doing you aree, even Atlus get more praise and recognition then sega As a company.
That’s fine! If they don’t want our money there’s plenty of other companies releasing MMORPGS to fill the gap that does want our money! Sega can sit in the back seat whole the others get famous with games like Onigiri, Neverwinter, Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV, Invokers Tournament, Monster Hunter Frontier G, Elf Quest Next, and Smite! These games are not afraid to go for our money and I’m glad of it! Sega apologized and said they were bringing Japanese games to the west to make it up to the western fans but if that was all talk then they will lose more fans!
Yakuza 5, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax and Hatsune Miku-Project Mirai DX are coming to the west, and it’s a pretty good start but i would like to see more Japanese Games come to the West.
SAD.
Who are the top people running SoA and what is wrong with them? It’s stupid business sense and disrespectful to their fans. Shameful.
If I was a filthy rich I would buy SEGA and turn them around into something respectful again. They aren’t going to be as huge as they were in the 90’s, but they could be a healthy and profitable company with a lot of respect within the niche market as well as putting out occasional big AAA games.
I know there are some good people working at SoA, but overall I just want to shake some sense into them and ask wtf is going on with them as a whole. So beyond frustrating.
I know next to nothing about business but could probably do a better job, A lot of this is common sense.
The only hope I see is maybe some influence from Atlus with getting SoA to bring over more Japanese games or maybe the new head of SEGA Games Haruki Satomi, being more involved in encouraging worldwide releases of franchises as big as Phantasy Star or new games he sees potential in.
You know Sega’s went downhill big time when you realise that Sega fans are the last remnants of the real true Sega that once was, and that a Sega fan can be better relied and trusted to re-make Sega back to the greatness they once were.
You know Sega’s went downhill big time when you realise that Sega fans are the last remnants of the real true Sega that once was, and that a Sega fan can be better relied upon and trusted to re-make Sega back to the greatness they once were, rather than the actual mediocre Sega that we have to put up with today.
I can say I know a fair bit about business and the value in the heritage of the old Sega at the same time, and Sega’s management is shocking weak, mediocre, unaccountable, un-responsible, un-reliable and seemingly without agency, it seems that Sega cannot get these two traits together done right, good business and the understanding of the value of their brand and heritage – at least as it once was. As I mentioned earlier, it’s like pulling teeth, fans shouldn’t have to keep pressuring them to release the things they want, it’s supposed to be Sega’s job and responsibility to supply demand where ever demand is, and part of that is in being able to analyse market trends and capitalise on them, that’s the first law of economics, ‘Supply and Demand’, and this current Sega is so out of touch with even this very basic understanding.
I dont believe a word satomi says. Sega is in grave danger. And they have disapointed many so let me say
Shining series
Streets of rage
Yakuza 5(at last)
Mediocre games and rerererereleases
Mobile p2w f2p games
Sonic boom abysmal sonic 06 abysmal.
Pso2 announced and left people in the darl.
Making games that are not sega essentially like:
Coh totalwar. Aliens.
More rereleases.
While all seems easy to be a succes
Bring
Streets of rage 4
Yakuza 5
Shining force
Shenmue 3. ( not because of sega LOL)
this company rumbled so many feathers. Its like suicide.
They probably looked at the us servers and noticed Americans played more DC universe Destiny and compared them to the anime style mmorpg games, looked at stats and realized the vast majority of us gamers are too slow to keep up with the times. All the cool games are always in Japan and doing a complete conversion with what budget they have with Sammy Holdings finds it too much of a liability instead of an asset. The 3 years of silence was probably due to stat observations, but reality also could be that US/EU gamers are slow and only comprehend slower games. Only the talented gamers understand fast pace culture of certain bad ass Japanese games.
As you know by now, the vast majority of American mainstream gamers still live in the dark ages and are still clouded with hate and ignorance.
SEGA! just go out of business already man. Times are changed.
It’s sad to see so many fans had put trust in Satomi’s words.
Eh, not something I find particularly surprising. Sega’s made plainly clear for years that Total War/Sonic/Aliens are all that we’re getting outside of Japan and so far they’ve for the most part followed through.
Regarding blaming Sega Wes……I’m not sure how much Sega West is to blame. This likely has nothing to do with Sega West; there is no more Sega West…for all intents and purposes. They’re being more and more gutted every year, I’m not sure how anyone can expect them to release a game at all, let alone localize it. I doubt they’re in any position to approve or deny games coming here.
Seems more like Sega of Japan is calling the shots and Sega of Japan doesn’t care about the West. Only in this company would the idea of releasing a PS4 game exclusively to Japan make any sense whatsoever. Really the only good news is that developers are finally getting the sense to attempt to take their IP elsewhere to get made. Sega doesn’t care that they’re missing out, as long as they can still whore out the characters’ likeness in a Pachinko machine, they don’t care in whose hands the games end up. Nintendo’s, YS Net’s, whoever.
In fairness, from I later read, it transpired that it wasn’t Satomi who actually gave that statement about Sega’s past 10 year track record, it was his son, who was hired a few years ago and is heading the games division.
Its the whole 32x rubbish again…
Surprised at the negativity of the comments and the lack of anyone from SEGAbits chipping in (I guess Ben’s done so).
Personally, it’s SoA saying this, and SEGA have already shown that they have more faith in ATLUS than their own subsidery.
Personally, this announcement is suicide for the Japanese Market, given that there aren’t many PS4 owner in Japan (in comparison to Vita).
Not releasing it in the West imho is a mistake to at least not test the waters of PS4 since it seems the best chance SEGA has.
Either way, I still believe SEGA can turn things around (surprising they aren’t publishing Stella Glow in Europe…although ATLUS has a handle on that), they kind of need to localise and publish games on the PS4 for any chance of regaining trust. Miku and the like is okay, but it’s not branching out to those fans who want them to return to former glory (which will rarely be achieved).
It’s just crazy to me that this game would not be planned for the West. I still hesitate to blame Sega West, who (I think?) went as far as to create a Facebook page for the game, etc. They’d planned to release it. It was never released here.
A PS4 version would have made sense. That it’s not happening is disappointing to me, dunno what else to say. And this isn’t even coming from a PSO fan.
All that said, I might be jumping the gun, who knows? The other editors may be waiting to comment on this until they know more info, which makes sense. I don’t feel that I’m jumping the gun though. I think it’s been clear for a long time that Sega plans a pretty limited console future, driven primarily by Atlus games. That’s again just how I see it, though.
Just noticed this on the PSO Wikipedia page, I had never heard this before:
In order to help market the game in Japan, where dial-up internet services at the time charged by the minute, Okawa packaged the Dreamcast with a free year of internet access, and paid for it out of his own pocket.
If people here are discussing this. SEGA not releasing a game outisde JP. then SEGA has failed to meet what the fans wants.
supply and demand.. failing to supply the consumer and the consumers will go elsewhere.
why even apologize if youre going to behave as badly in the future.
in retrospect. this company should know better..
doing wrong once is not stupid. it is the base of learning…
doing wrong repeatedly is madness..
SEGA seem to want nothing more than loosing all it once had built.