The Current State Of PSO2

[Eclward@Sega]

Hello everyone. It's been quite a while and now that I am at liberty to do so, there are some things I would like to share.

Being an official public relations rep with Sega put severe restrictions on what I could and could not say, and it was very upsetting to be assigned the task of monitoring this forum and listening to the frustration of you all, the fans and being more or less obligated to respond only with variations of the same response. But it's important for you all to know that during this time, I really *DID* compile and present your collective posts albeit they ultimately fell on deaf ears. Although I am no longer employed by SEGA (having willfully resigned to move on to different opportunities) I was still legally required to refrain from divulging information pertinent to the game that was not already cleared to be released for a specific length of time; this has since lapsed and now I am free to speak to you without fear of legal reprisal.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is *NOT* going to be released in the West. It is not simply being delayed; it is in fact, cancelled.

The reason for this is that projected sales and profit margins are miniscule in comparison to those projected (and ultimately fulfilled, exceeded even) in Asian territories. The cost effectiveness of creating and maintaining official servers to provide the PSO2 service to such a comparatively small (although avid, especially from my experience in the forums) just isn't deemed to be worthwhile when those resources are better concentrated where there is more money to be made.

Although I do believe that you all, the fans deserve to know that there is a specific reason why SEGA has neglected to publicly announce this, and it does bring quite a sense of relief to be able to tell it; while it IS true that PSO2 will not be localized to the West, there ARE plans to do so with some of the other Phantasy Star titles recently released, as well as ones to be released in the very near future. To openly publicize after so much media promotion of PSO2 that it has been decided NOT to deliver would be detrimental to the advertisement of these future games.

Again, I am truly sorry for having been obligated to withhold this information. It is my personal experience in the industry that it is ultimately you, the fans that are responsible for the successes of SEGA (or any company in the gaming industry for that matter.) With that being said, I hope to find that same sense of support over at NCSOFT (where I now work in Public Relations.)

Best of wishes to everyone!

[GutsGO]

Thanks Edward for the enlightening post and everything you've done for us over the years. It's very nice to finally get closure on this subject.

[EvilMag]

Ok ESEElward. Thank you.

[Lostbob117]

Fake, obviously.

[Arksenth]

<_< Yes, they would totally let an employee go without making them sign a nondisclosure agreement.

SEGA might be dumb with a lot of things, but they aren't dumb with money, you know.

[Gardios]

Why not Eclvvarcl@SEGA though?

[Zyrusticae]

Fake, obviously.
Fake or not... I believe him.

I mean seriously, let's not mince words here, if this thing comes at all there wouldn't even be a point to it. It'd be finished before it even started.

Let us all just finally accept that the JP servers are the place to be, and if you're not there then you never really cared that much to begin with.

[infiniteeverlasting]

^LOL, i'm not going to agree with that statement, but how do we validate the legitimacy of this thread?

[Shadowth117]

Note the cl instead of a d in the name.

Edit: As a side note though, I'd believe that completely. As far as I'm concerned, that's canon.

[Gardios]

^LOL, i'm not going to agree with that statement, but how do we validate the legitimacy of this thread?

You just accept it and continue to play on jPSO2 like nothing happened.

If it finally comes out in 2020, act surprised and continue to play on jPSO2 anyway.

[Friyn]

This should be common knowledge by now, even though it's obviously fake.

[DJcooltrainer]

You just accept it and continue to play on jPSO2 like nothing happened.

If it finally comes out in 2020, act surprised and continue to play on jPSO2 anyway.

Slated for launch the same week Half-Life 3 comes out?

[infiniteeverlasting]

You just accept it and continue to play on jPSO2 like nothing happened.

If it finally comes out in 2020, act surprised and continue to play on jPSO2 anyway.

yea even if it comes out in america, like hell i would start over again, i cherish the few 11 star weaps i got without premium

[RollTheDice]

I find it funny some people actually really do think it's still coming..

[Dnd]

The really sad thing is this is probably as close to an official statement from sega we're ever getting about the NA/EU released being release or cancelled instead of the 'no comment' they've done for over a year

[Shadowth117]

Well a quick cash at some point in the future wouldn't surprise me too much since they already have the game translated, albeit poorly. But its probably going to be about as supported as EA's more creative titles.

[chaoko99]

I like to think they are working their way west, and RUSSIA will get localization next, after all, the game does have Cyrillic in its font set, I wanna say that russia, the pinnicle of the mobile gaming market, will have pso2 [pc] localized first. where almost no income can come from it. at all..... you know what, disregard most of this statement.

anyways, for the first time... pretty much ever.
Europe will get a game before the USA.

[Dark Matter]

Eclward@Sega
Hello everyone. It's been quite a while and now that I am at liberty to do so, there are some things I would like to share.

Being an official public relations rep with Sega put severe restrictions on what I could and could not say, and it was very upsetting to be assigned the task of monitoring this forum and listening to the frustration of you all, the fans and being more or less obligated to respond only with variations of the same response. But it's important for you all to know that during this time, I really *DID* compile and present your collective posts albeit they ultimately fell on deaf ears. Although I am no longer employed by SEGA (having willfully resigned to move on to different opportunities) I was still legally required to refrain from divulging information pertinent to the game that was not already cleared to be released for a specific length of time; this has since lapsed and now I am free to speak to you without fear of legal reprisal.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is *NOT* going to be released in the West. It is not simply being delayed; it is in fact, cancelled.

The reason for this is that projected sales and profit margins are miniscule in comparison to those projected (and ultimately fulfilled, exceeded even) in Asian territories. The cost effectiveness of creating and maintaining official servers to provide the PSO2 service to such a comparatively small (although avid, especially from my experience in the forums) just isn't deemed to be worthwhile when those resources are better concentrated where there is more money to be made.

Although I do believe that you all, the fans deserve to know that there is a specific reason why SEGA has neglected to publicly announce this, and it does bring quite a sense of relief to be able to tell it; while it IS true that PSO2 will not be localized to the West, there ARE plans to do so with some of the other Phantasy Star titles recently released, as well as ones to be released in the very near future. To openly publicize after so much media promotion of PSO2 that it has been decided NOT to deliver would be detrimental to the advertisement of these future games.

Again, I am truly sorry for having been obligated to withhold this information. It is my personal experience in the industry that it is ultimately you, the fans that are responsible for the successes of SEGA (or any company in the gaming industry for that matter.) With that being said, I hope to find that same sense of support over at NCSOFT (where I now work in Public Relations.)

Best of wishes to everyone![/SPOILER-BOX]


I hate to sound like one of those guys, but could we have a form proof or identification.[SPOILER] For the last few weeks pso-w has really been hitting
the wall with some less than formal topics from all sorts of trolls and random players that just want to gain a laugh at the expense of the portion of
the community and these usually bring out the worst in people.



Slated for launch the same week Half-Life 3 comes out?

That got me lol.

http://i55.tinypic.com/289yhpf.jpg

[tuxdude143]

Yeah, well on the sega forums the name is Edward@sega not Eclward@sega. As much as it pains me to say I call bullshit on this one. I really wish we could have closure to this topic though because it really does seem like pso2 isn't coming to the west

[tuxdude143]

Hang on!! New development! Check this thread here.

http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?508239-Has-Edward-SEGA-gone/page2


It says that Edward@Sega WAS laid off from the company and it was confurmed by one of the admins on the forum. This means their could be some truth to what is being said here!

[BIG OLAF]

Oh, fuck off now. That OP is bullshit. I genuinely and sincerely hope that none of you fell for this.

I can almost guarantee that "Edward" (newsflash: it's not him) won't come back and post again after his OP here. If he does, please provide some photographic proof as to your identity. I'm sure you have some pictures of you from your time at SEGA of America that you could show us.

[Squeezit]

Unfortunately I know Edward.

This is not him, nor would he ever post on psow over the Sega forums.

Whoever wrote it, did a fantastic job at sounding legit. But it's fake.


On another note, if you still believe PSO2 is going to have a western release, you're going to have a bad time.

[BIG OLAF]

I agree. He mimicked Edward's manner of speaking almost perfectly. But, yeah, let's be real. Edward would have no business here "revealing" this "great truth" to us, or anyone else. He doesn't care what we know or don't know; he has zero obligation to do anything like this. He's probably completely forgotten about his employment at SEGA of America by now.

[gigawuts]

Unfortunately I know Edward.

You have my condolences.

[tuxdude143]

Well whoever did perform this trick really did do their research. That deserves some credit. Still, to be honest I really do think that pso2 isn't gonna get released in the west in my opinion. I mean its been two years!! If they can translate the game to english for a SEA release then just use that translation for an english release! Sure this thread may be all fake but honestly I think a lot of us know that segas probably given up on pso2 for the west. Sad really.

[Gardios]

Shhh, guys. If this will bring an end to the weekly "PSO2 localization info" thread then we shall all agree that this is indeed Edward.

[Horo The Wise Wolf]

Edward was layed off in that big SOA layoff a few months back.

Nice try, I guess.

[BIG OLAF]

Edward was layed off in that big SOA layoff a few months back.

That was established, yes. [Not] Edward was trying to say that now that he has been laid off, he can spill all the dirty secrets to us with no consequence.

Thing is, there would still be a consequence. Legal bindings like that don't just disappear once your employment has been terminated, most times.

Either way, yes, this thread is a sham, etc.

[Chdata]

Baseless claim.

Not making these claims through the official SEGA website.

Then again, that laid off thread is pretty convincing.

Edit: Then again, http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=69495

[tuxdude143]

We get it BIGOLAF.
Still I think all of us would like some legitimate closure on where pso2 is in the west. I mean its been 2 years! 2 years is more than enough to localize the game. People are getting restless sega! We all just want some closure on whats going on with PSO2!

[BIG OLAF]

Still I think all of us would like some legitimate closure on where pso2 is in the west. I mean its been 2 years! 2 years is more than enough to localize the game. People are getting restless sega! We all just want some closure on whats going on with PSO2!

We get it.

[landman]

Sorry fake, Edwuars's pso-world account is this: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=69495

[tuxdude143]

Sorry fake, Edwuars's pso-world account is this: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=69495

Thank you landman. Now with that out of the way somebody lock and wasteland this thread. Please and thanks.

[ShinMaruku]

<_< Yes, they would totally let an employee go without making them sign a nondisclosure agreement.

SEGA might be dumb with a lot of things, but they aren't dumb with money, you know.

Sega is the most brilliant with money. :P

[mctastee]

Hang on!! New development! Check this thread here.

http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?508239-Has-Edward-SEGA-gone/page2


It says that Edward@Sega WAS laid off from the company and it was confurmed by one of the admins on the forum. This means their could be some truth to what is being said here!

I remember reading a post 2 years ago that he quit. Must have been my imagination.

[futamieriko]

Trying too hard at inserting small truths to make the whole thing seem legitimate. No employee in his right mind would point this bad publicity at a former employer and then mention their current one in the same post.

[Katalio]

The misspelling of the username definitely would lead one to believe that it's all a bunch of BS.

However, is it not worth considering that although Edward wanted to do the right thing and let everyone know the truth that brazenly stating such things using his own account (that could undeniably be traced back to him, and therefore subject him to legal repercussions) he would instead do it in such a way that would give the fans what they wanted and still leave room for reasonable doubt for litigation purposes?

I mean, the way in which he speaks is so very much like his own, it either really must be him or someone really is talented at doing such things.

And there IS a precedence to this form of exposé, I can think back to the whole Xbox One "internet always on" scandal and how an employee used a similar method to inform the community of what was really going on without blowing his cover and risking getting in trouble.

But ultimately, I guess it doesn't matter either way because real Edward or not we're still never getting PSO2.

[jooozek]

who the fuck is ECLWARD

[Zipzo]

I'll be honest, I think it's legit.

He may have simply made a new account to do it, that other account is so old, the last time there was any activity was in 2011.

That's a long time ago, long enough to either forget his account info or just maybe even forget he had an account.

The way he types you can really tell he sympathizes...I mean, it's not like any of you didn't know in your minds what he had to say.

I firmly belief this is legit. If it isn't then...well *shrug. It's basically the truth either way, but I see no reason to believe this would be some kind of fantastic troll idea. Why would you "troll" a community by telling them something they technically already know?

He's simply telling everyone for closure which is a courtesy on his part. I see no reason to believe it would just be a troll *shrug. His description of the NDA's lapsing and what not was pretty valid too.

The one thing that sticks out a bit is his forum name. It doesn't seem particularly sensible that it would be "@Sega" when he clarifies in the very post that he is working with NCsoft.


Trying too hard at inserting small truths to make the whole thing seem legitimate. No employee in his right mind would point this bad publicity at a former employer and then mention their current one in the same post.

He didn't point bad publicity at SEGA at all. What exactly is he pointing at SEGA that isn't immediately and apparently obvious by any person?

The people know SEGA is not giving them any information. Him simply saying so isn't pointing bad publicity at them, it's just a statement of fact.

[UMVC3_Wolverine]

Obviously fake, but still funny lmao.

Anyone who still has HOPE for a US release is just simply fucking stupid at this point. I don't even feel sorry for those "waiting" for this game anymore.

[NoiseHERO]

I'll be honest, I think it's legit.

smh smh

[Zipzo]

smh smh

You make a great point.

Oh wait, you didn't and never do.

[Sakarisei]

I'm sorry, but i won't consider that info a fake. That doesn't mean that info is official, because although the guy is written by Edward "or the real ones", however, that info is not surprising to me, for the next reasons:

Firstly...


Being an official public relations rep with Sega put severe restrictions on what I could and could not say

Not only in SoA. Many SoJ workers are working with severe restrictions abous saying important content of SEGA. I know that point and i'm not surprised, unafortunately, and that type of reasons are one of the causes that SEGA workers leave the company, if they can, instantly.

Secondly...


The reason for this is that projected sales and profit margins are miniscule in comparison to those projected (and ultimately fulfilled, exceeded even) in Asian territories.

Yeah, that's right. There are much more Asians interested in this game than western users. Nobody should doubt it. This game is made by "hardcore asian gamers" which can repeat constantly many times without being tired. Furthermore, because the new MMOs in western market, why should SEGA risk with PSO2, an asian game, when other games can overcome this extremely easy?

Thirdly...


Although I am no longer employed by SEGA (having willfully resigned to move on to different opportunities) I was still legally required to refrain from divulging information pertinent to the game that was not already cleared to be released for a specific length of time; this has since lapsed and now I am free to speak to you without fear of legal reprisal.

Maybe this post from the official forums (http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?508239-Has-Edward-SEGA-gone&p=8561808&viewfull=1#post8561808) can show you a proof of one of his friends confirming that Edward@SEGA is no longer working for that company.

And finally...

Although i'm not considering this post a fake, i'm not considering this post as an official ones, specially if Edward (Or eclward lol) is no longer working for SEGA. Of course, for me, this game in NA/EU is dead. I really dunno why there are still many people waiting for a "ghost release" of a version that won't appear in future.

Greetings.

[Invader J]

This conspiracy must end! Listen. I have a grainy video showing proof of a 2nd poster. I am willing to exchange it for an appropriate amount of AC, which I must then use to flee from SEGAgents who will surely be onto me once this grainy video is leaked. PM me for details.

[Invader J]

PM sent. Together, we can remove the veil from this confused world!

OK let's arrange a dead drop for this grainy video. This grainy video shall be the video to pierce the heavens of PSOW conspiracies!

[Mysterious-G]

Edward's many replies to the very topic he felt obligated to create for the fanbase clearly shows his dedication to the fans and the series. /s

[MidCap]

This is fake bullshit. There's no way a non-disclosure agreement for Sega would last for less than a year. There's way too much at stake.

I don't care if PSO2 is coming to the West or not, but this post itself obviously fake. To the attention whore who posted it: you suck!

[Galax]

What nobody locked this yet?