According to a press release from SEGA PR today, Phantasy Star Online 2 will be one of nine playable games showcased by SEGA at this year's Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. While there isn't any detail in the release about exactly what parts of PSO2 players will have a chance to try out, it is probably safe to assume that this means there is at least a localized demo of the game. The full list of SEGA's PAX line-up is as follows:

Aliens: Colonial Marines™

The Cave™

Hell Yeah!™- Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

Jet Set Radio™

NiGHTS into dreams… ™

Phantasy Star Online 2™

Sonic Adventure™ 2

Unannounced digital title

PAX Prime will run from August 31st through September 2nd and anyone attending can check out these games at booths #242 and #252. We'll be sure to post any more details we can get about the build of the game and its localization progress. In the meantime, though, feel free to hop on over to the PSO2 Forums, where there is still a lot of discussion going on regarding the Japanese release of the game, which launched to more than 700,000 players in July.

Japanese gaming website 4gamer.net recently interviewed Satoshi Sakai, producer for the Phantasy Star Online series. In the interview, Sakai talks about the creation of Phantasy Star Online 2, future updates, and the regional servers. In particular, he mentioned the North American/European servers will not be linked to the Japanese servers.

This turn of events will surely come as a disappointment to those that were expecting globaly linked servers.

Credit goes to Neirene for bringing us this news. You can discuss this news in this forum thread.

Today, SEGA will officially announce that they will be bringing Phantasy Star Online 2 to North America and Europe, with a release date in early 2013. In addition, the official teaser site should be going live at www.pso2.com sometime this morning. Our friends at SEGA were kind enough to give us a heads up on this great news, and PSO-World is proud to be the first site to share it with the Phantasy Star community. Here is a copy of the official press release, check it out:

SEGA ANNOUNCES THE WESTERN RELEASE OF PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 SEGA’s Epic Free-to-Play Multiplayer Action RPG Coming to North America and Europe in Early 2013

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON – July 9th, 2012 – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd today announced that free-to-play multiplayer action RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 will be coming to North America and Europe in 2013. For a first look at this new entry in the legendary Phantasy Star series, check out the official Phantasy Star Online 2 teaser site at www.pso2.com.

“Phantasy Star Online was a revolutionary game when it was released, and we want to make sure that its successor in the series is every bit as ambitious,” said Chris Olson, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We look forward to introducing Phantasy Star Online 2’s unique, easy-to-access multiplayer action to the rest of the world next year!”

“The number one thing we want to provide players in Phantasy Star Online 2 is an adventure that changes every time they log in. Just as great table-top RPG experiences revolve around imaginative and unexpected encounters, we want players to consistently be surprised as they explore dungeons and undertake quests,” added Satoshi Sakai, Phantasy Star Online 2 Producer at SEGA of Japan.

Over ten years have passed since the release of the boundary-breaking Dreamcast hit, Phantasy Star Online, and SEGA is poised to continue the Phantasy Star series’ multiplayer legacy on PCs worldwide with Phantasy Star Online 2. In the Year 238, the New Era of Light, players will join a new band of Arcs in the fight against mysterious D-Arkers, embarking on another epic adventure of infinite possibilities!

Phantasy Star Online 2’s features include:

• Deep sci-fi fantasy universe filled with lush landscapes, extraordinary creatures, and epic adventures
• Revolutionary real-time combat and third-person action with devastating combos and counters to master
• Flexible, class-based leveling system that lets players define their own play-style with distinctive melee, ranged, and magic weapon types
• Randomized dungeon maps and unexpected mid-quest encounters that ensure each quest is different for each player
• Deep character creation system with a nearly limitless number of potential appearances
• Three degrees of humanity to experience across three unique races: the versatile Humans, spiritually-powered Newmen, and artificial CAST

For more information about Phantasy Star Online 2, visit the official site at www.pso2.com.

For more news, follow SEGA on Twitter @SEGA (http://twitter.com/phantasystar) or “like” us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sega.pso2).

About SEGA® of America, Inc. SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment. SEGA® of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.

About SEGA® Europe Ltd. SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA’s global website site is located at www.sega.com.

The official teaser trailer for PSO2's western launch will also be going live sometime Monday morning via YouTube: Official PSO2 Announcement Trailer. Be sure to check it out once the video has been made available to the public!

Be sure to share your thoughts on this exciting announcement in our PSO2 Forums, where there is already a great deal of discussion going on about the Japanese release of the game

A new six minute gameplay video was released for the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online 2. This video highlights several of the major features of Phantasy Star Online 2 including the Matter Board, story content, character creation, enemies, and stages. Take a look:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEYXd1MRTgw[/ame]

You can discuss this gameplay video in our Phantasy Star Online 2 forum.

The Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online 2 will be exiting its Open Beta phase and officially launching on July 4th! Here are some of the highlights of the official launch:

• The Tundra field will be made available.
• Maximum Job level will be increased to 40.
• The Matter Board will be expanded.
• Arks Cash (AC) will be available for purchase.

The Arks Cash purchase page will be launched on July 3rd at 3 pm Tokyo time. Due to the expected high demand for Arks Cash, it is recommended that you setup your account before the servers come online for the official launch. The following forms of payment will be accepted for purchasing Arks Cash:

• Credit Card (VISA, MasterCard, JCB, American Express)
• WebMoney
• NETCASH
• MobileEdy
• Bitcash
• Mobile Suica

An official guide for purchasing and using Arks Cash will be made available on the Japanese website.

Credit goes to Sizustar for bringing us this news. You can discuss this news in this forum thread.

It was announced today that the Open Beta for the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online 2 will start on June 21st. Any characters created or progress earned during the Open Beta will carry over to the official service. All Pre-Open Beta data will be wiped for the Open Beta test.

You can discuss this news in our Phantasy Star Online 2 forum.

The Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 Pre-Open Beta has been scheduled for June 15th and June 16th. The playtime window will be limited each day to the following hours:

• Eastern Standard Time: 6am to 11am
• Pacific Standard Time: 3am to 8am

Character data will be wiped once the Pre-Open Beta is completed. Also, characters will receive a code for a Bouquet Rifle if a specific Desert Mission is completed. The Bouquet Rifle will be delivered to users sometime during the Open Beta test.

If the Pre-Open Beta is successful, the Open Beta will start immediately after Pre-Open Beta ends.

Credit goes to ShadowDragon28 and FenixStryk for bringing us this news. You can share your thoughts in this forum thread.

The Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 Closed Beta Test webpage was updated today with news about future beta tests. Here is a brief summary:

• A "Pre-open Beta" will be held late in late June.
• Open Beta pre-registration for new accounts will start tomorrow. This will also allow you to play the Pre-Open Beta.
• Existing accounts should be able to participate in both the Pre-open and Open Betas.
• There will be a reward for participating in the Pre-open Beta.
• If the Pre-open Beta is successful, the Open Beta will likely start soon after Pre-open Beta concludes.

In addition, the Closed Beta report was published. Here are some of the highlights:

• The client was downloaded approximately 147,000 times.
• Approximately 131,000 people (70% of the accepted testers) logged in sometime during the closed beta testing period.
• The highest number of simultaenous connected users occured on April 21st with 23,500 users.

Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can read more about the Closed Beta report and comment on the Beta news in this on-going forum thread.

Update: The registration site has opened.

The second Phantasy Star Online 2 Fan Briefing was held earlier today on the Japanese NicoNico website. The briefing included overviews of two new playable areas, story mode details, and new weapon types. In case you weren't able to watch the briefing, Vashyron has uploaded some of the footage to Youtube:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBZBbgU8AwU[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxbHpHQMXj8[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezvA19a-IEo[/ame]

Also, several high-resolution screenshots are available at the 4gamer.net website.

You can comment on this news in this on-going forum thread.