PSO2 Producer Satoshi Sakai briefs fans on upcoming features, reveals previous beta stats

 PSO2 Producer Satoshi Sakai sat down with fans recently to discuss the upcoming open BETA for Phantasy Star Online 2, as well as the final game, which is expected to launch in Japan this summer. They also revealed the stats of the last closed beta, and revealed that another closed BETA may be in order before they can continue with the open BETA. The stats for the closed BETA are as follows:

  • 147,000 CBT Client Downloads
  • 131,000 people participated in the Beta.
  • Average of 63,000 people login a day.
  • 23,500 simultaneous connections.

Phantasy Star Online 2 – Opening CG and Trailer

Last night Sega held two Phantasy Star Online 2 “Fan Briefings” where members of the development team including ‘Dragon’ Sakai took to the stage in Akihabara Japan to revealed new details about PSO2. Fans who could not attend the even, like you and I could watch it on USTREAM.

The above video is the opening CGI movie of PSO2, hit the jump to watch a trailer for the game which includes lots of gameplay recorded from the USTREAM video so quality isnt the best.

Note the remixed version of the original PSO theme music ‘A Whole New World’ playing during both videos.

Phantasy Star Online 2 delayed to sometime 2012

SEGA today confirmed that one of their most anticipated titles has been pushed back to sometime in 2012. The game was suppose to release late this year following its Alpha trial but has been pushed back due to fan feedback. Speaking on the matter, producer Satoshi Sakai says the decision was made by SEGA following the feedback from the alpha-test. SEGA has now confirmed that a second trial will be held in early 2012 and those who tried the original alpha as well as new participants will be allowed entry. With such news, expect the release date to be moved to sometime in mid 2012 when SEGA officially announces a new date.

[Source: Siliconera]

SEGA titles appear in CESA awards for TGS 2011

SEGA managed to help themselves to two awards at the conclusion of the Tokyo Game Show. Both Binary Domain and Phantasy Star Online 2 were 2 of the 11 that picked up Future awards at CESA’s annual awards. The award is handed out based on popularity and is perhaps a good indication for what to expect from sales for both SEGA’s futuristic shooter and large scale online adventure game.

[Thanks Suzuki Yu for the tip!]

PSO2 Minimum Requirements Revealed

With the release of Phantasy Star Portable 2:Infinity in Japan (today) also comes news of the minimum requirements needed for the Phantasy Star Online 2 Alpha Test.

Some lucky people who get a hold of the initial shipment of PSP2:I will also receive a code inside their game case. Others who subscribe to PSO:BB and PSU in Japan can receive the code though e-mail. These people can register their code right now at http://pso2.jp/alpha.

You will need to register for a SEGA ID then use the code to log in by pressing the alpha test button in blue.

Hit the jump for the all important Minimum Requirements,

A little PSO2 info to satisfy your hunger

Well, actually. This will probably only make you more hungry for PSO2, but at least it’s some info to think about and discuss.

  • Development of PSO2 has been running alongside PSP2 Infinity, so the game is further along in development than some people likely think.
  • Some kind of announcement may be made around the end of April, during the finals of the Infinity Grand Prix.
  • PSO2 will not be set in either Ragol or Gurhal. Instead, look forward to an even larger setting with numerous planets as indicated by the game’s logo.

[ PSO-World ]

Phantasy Star Online:Blue Burst Ends in Japan. However…

After 6 years, the Japanese Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst servers are going down for the last time. This isn’t just the end of PSO:BB this marks the end of a decade of Phantasy Star Online. The Japanese PSO:BB server was the last, official running server in the legacy of Phantasy Star Online, truly the end of an era.

Here is how the last few months of PSO:BB will play out;
-November 29: Hunters License sales and usage of all special access codes halted.
-November 30 – December 27: Free access to the game servers. December 14
-December 27: Special bonuses applied (rare drops x10, rare enemies x5, EXP x2).
-December 27: Servers go offline at 4:00p.m. JST.

Sad news indeed, but every cloud has a silver lining! In this case, Phantasy Star Online 2!

Posted by EspioKaos of PSOWorld, their resident translator of Japanese,
But fear not, you enduring Hunters of Ragol! In that same announcement, SonicTeam mentions that they are in discussions to grant access to a
Phantasy Star Online 2 “user participation test” (among other things) to Japanese PSOBB subscribers at a later time. No further details are known at the moment, but stay tuned. We’ll be posting more information as it surfaces!

So if you want to beta test Phantasy Star Online 2, I suggest signing up to the Japanese PSO:BB for its final swan song.

PSO2 trailer on Sega TGS stream!

Oh shi-

So I’m watching Sega’s TGS live stream which currently is just playing trailers for their upcoming games while no press conference is going on. I was just happily playing it in the background as I catch up on some work while minding my own business.

Suddenly I head something that fills me with nostalgia and fond memories. Pioneer 2, Spread Needles, Rappys and beautiful Caves 3 come flooding back; It’s the main (vocal) theme of the original Phantasy Star Online! What the?

I quickly Alt-Tab to the stream and what do I see? Phantasy Star Online, the original, what is this? Then it shows PSOv2 and proceeds to go though each game in order of release right up to the very newest announced game, Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity. I’m excited about the game so I continued watching but that wasn’t all. Right at the end… My mind was blown.

Phantasy Star Online 2
Release: 2011
Known system: PC

[More info as it comes]

Live Stream HERE

Apologies, article written at 3AM in a fanboy frenzy.

SoJ Renews Phantasy Star Online 2 Domain


Seems Valkyria Chronicles 3 isn’t the only potential sequel SEGA has registered a domain for. According to PSO World, Sega of Japan has also registered PSO2.jp.

While this has only been recently reported, it seems this is actually old news. I past the domain’s whois entry by my good pal Kichigai, the girl who, along with her mother, helped translate NiGHTSintoDreams.com’s Yuji Naka interview. It seems the domain was first registered last year; meaning that this isn’t a simple renewal of a URL SEGA has had for years. With strong hints from SEGA that they are planning something for classic game’s tenth anniversary, might we be seeing a sequel announced at some point in the future?