::Speculation:: ...any ideas when the US release date will be announced?

[eharima]

Shenmue 3 scheduled for release before pso2

[Skyly]

The people complaining about another PSO2 western release thread I'm sure play JP. So you're opinion is very biased.

[SociableTyrannosaur]

...if there's more than one thread about the same thing and both are active there's a problem - case closed

[SC]

Looking at SEGA as a whole, I reckon PSO2 EU/US release, on either PC/Vita/iOS/Android will be released either mid 2013 (Jun-Aug time) or Late 2013 (Oct-Dec time).

Looking at previous SEGA releases, I have noticed (I cannot say this for all people) The US/EU communities have had releases roughly between five to eight months after its initial release in Japan. I personally feel that this is to SoJ can get a feel for it, and then hypothesise it's potential in the western community. Now please note I said SEGA as a whole, not just one of their projects.

Now again, SEGA, with PSO/PSU/PSP have always faced criticism with the western communities. They have always released it roughly five to eight months after their main release in Japan. Why, personally I don't know, I can only speculate, but that is how I've personally seen it. I would have thought that they should have done a worldwide closed beta, give allocated amounts to each 'zone' (JP/EU/US) and then from that, see how well it does, and then go from there.

Now this is where I suggest SEGA take a page from Nintendo's book. Nintendo have announced Pokemon X and Y. They have also confirmed that it will have a WORLDWIDE release date, to stop the advantage that JP will have over the US, and the advantage then of the US and JP having over the EU. And I believe that they are right in doing so, give everyone a level pegging as it were.

Ultimately, all this is speculation, and there is nothing I can do, or ultimately, anyone can do, other than the people at SoA/SoE, can make it come out any faster, or give us release dates.

But to the people that haven't read all the forums, I offer this statement:

To those that think 'Oh, we are not getting PSO2, moan moan moan', you are mistaken. SEGA have announced that we will get PSO2, they have not given a release date. This tells us one thing. WE WILL GET PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 AT SOME POINT! SO PULL YOUR NECK IN, STOP POSTING IDIOTIC THINGS, AND LETS ALL GET ALONG, YEAH?

Sorry. ^ ^ ^

Hope that helps peeps.

SC

[Maronji]

I think what it ultimately comes down to is this:

There's still plenty of time in Early 2013 (the time frame given by the original press release) left to go. As long as it's Early 2013, they have all the time in the world to tell us something before we have a legitimate reason to start freaking out and causing riots in the streets.

*This user does not actually think mass-freaking out or street riots will happen if Early 2013 passes without a word from Sega of America about the western release of Phantasy Star Online 2.*

So, really, all we can do is wait and see what happens while it's still Early 2013.

[May0]

WE WILL GET PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 AT SOME POINT! SO PULL YOUR NECK IN, STOP POSTING IDIOTIC THINGS, AND LETS ALL GET ALONG, YEAH?

Sorry. ^ ^ ^

Hope that helps peeps.

SC

I've been rather pessimistic about the issue as of late but I'm sure the game will get released in the US. The issue many others and myself have is the overall lack of interest or excitement about the release in general. Those not already on the JP server have seen enough of the gameplay to have a decent idea of what its like and the overall consensus is "meets expectations". Some people expected this, others were let down, and others think its great.

I've said before most people here probably play a variety of games. By the time PSO2 is released I'm not sure there's going to be enough hype for PSO2 to really get people to come to it. I'm assuming of course everything goes well during the launch and we get a fully up to date game that has all of the features of its Japanese counterpart.


That is to say, even with PSO2's best launch scenario it's competing with every other MMO out there. This isn't the early days of 2000 or 2004. There are a shit tone of MMOs that offer a variety of themes, gameplay, and art styles. I'm going to be into Tera/World of tanks most likely. If I have time I'll see if PSO2 is all its cracked up to be.

Personally I'm not all that excited about it. This is based on my speculation from what I've read and seen about the game so far. My disposition may change as news about the game develops but right now I'm not wet at the gums for PSO2. I'm willing to bet others share my sentiments and are playing other games in the interim.

[Googlebonker]

I'm assuming of course everything goes well during the launch and we get a fully up to date game that has all of the features of its Japanese counterpart.

lol I wouldn't be surprised if non-JP PSO2 runs 8-12 months behind JPPSO2 on updates.

[gigawuts]

There's two plausible outcomes, given Sega's track record and how modern gaming tends to be implemented

1. An exact 1:1 patch-for-patch release schedule, possibly sped up and compiled into fewer patches.
2. A release with lots of bugfixes and balance fixes (Possibly more work, but many of these were needed to improve the game as a whole - CO changes, weapon behavior changes, etc.)

Then there's the wishful thinking option: Everything is released pretty much up to schedule with the JP version, barring cosmetics which are either 1 year beyond or way out of whack with the seasons.

I'd like the EN version to launch with a handful of changes to things like the gacha system, which does not sell particularly well in the west, as well as reduced prices and/or the ability to buy some of these things with ingame currency (1 excube = 100-150 fake AC, let's say, for only extra skill trees or something). I wouldn't bet any money on this, but I think it would improve the experience as a whole for everyone if things like this became options. Account bound 10*'s...I'm not imagining those going away, but either being made more common (bad solution) or a fallback title system would be good. That wouldn't be too much work and would be entirely possible to do with the current system, but then again in their mind it means while tens of thousands of players would be happier three or four other players would use fewer 150% rare droprate tickets out of desperation before saying F this game
edit:

That is to say, even with PSO2's best launch scenario it's competing with every other MMO out there. This isn't the early days of 2000 or 2004. There are a shit tone of MMOs that offer a variety of themes, gameplay, and art styles. I'm going to be into Tera/World of tanks most likely. If I have time I'll see if PSO2 is all its cracked up to be.

This is the biggest point, yeah. PSO isn't going to be the only thing around this time. It's going to have to compete directly with pre-existing games. This is going to be held up next to the most popular and most successful F2P games available. Many have been established and going strong for years. Many of those were popular before going F2P. To take on those games in a sustainable way PSO2 will need to cut the irritating shit right now. No more charging for the most inane BS. No more irreversible mistakes permanently tied to your character that can only be fixed with real cash. Their competition has none of that shit. I don't know what kind of weapon improvement system similar games have, but PSO2 will need to say "Oh, that shit? Yeah we took that and made it more fun. Come pay us to give you entertainment."

When you go into an established market you do not do it with established ideas. You bring improvements and reasons to switch, otherwise you're just another F2P game of the month between the last one and the next one. But, then, maybe that's all PS is anymore. Maybe it's meant to be an F2P game of the month, to get a shot of cash before it goes downhill and is barely maintaining a pulse after only a couple years before the next F2P game that has different visuals but identical ideas.

The gaming community will eventually wisen up to this shit, but I guess until then it's stupid not to bleed peoples' wallets dry with heavily punishing dice rolls and such.

[NightfallG]

They gave a vague timetable of early 2013. That could mean as late as May or as early as March, who knows. What I do know is, by not putting *any* word out or giving any hype to their intentions for a US release they're screwing themselves. This game is going to have to compete with The Old Republic, TERA, Path of Exile, the newly released Wizardry Online and every other F2P with a pulse that doesn't wind up being complete tat. Sega's once again dropping the ball on marketing and keeping their fanbase engaged with the product.

On top of all of this, their cash shop involves very basic things (player shops, respecs etc) that every other game incorporated for free. That's going to leave a bad taste in the mouth of a market that's used to having basic functionality in an F2P. That isn't even to mention the possible ever present issue with Gameguard and whatever sets it off, be it antivirus or not (which STILL hasn't been fixed last I heard). Yeah, I gotta uninstall my AV to play this game. Sure, some diehard probably won't have any trouble going AV-free, but for a lot of users that's going to make them stay away.

What you've got is a very good product being completely stymied by amateurish decisions, and an entire company just not listening. It'd probably be for the best if they just didn't bother to release abroad, from a financial standpoint. They got their American and European money from the short stint on the JP version, in their minds they don't need to care about those regions anymore, especially with the no doubt lukewarm, poorly tended-to reception it'll get if it comes packaged with all the problems (bad cash shop, a shitty rootkit, little support as is the norm with Sega etc.).

[Cagedtaytay]

Shenmue 3 scheduled for release before pso2

I would be okay with this.
I love Shenmue.