June 12th update

[Kierto]

It's no secret that biggest playerbase of this game is in the 20-30 age range, i.e. child/teen PSO players who are now adults with independent spending power (gacha).

It's half the reason the game is called PSO2 and not PSU2. At least PSU legitimately tried in its early days with the whole "Phantasy Star V? Phantasy Star Online 2?" stuff and planets/race concept.

When you think that PSO itself was actually reverse branded from 'make a Diablo style internet game' called The Third World with a thin Sci-Fi theme in to a Phantasy Star game it's kind of funny. Especially when Sakai was inadvertently responsible by drawing dragon concept art that helped Naka make the connection.

[Sinue_v2]

I really think PS itself is dead, and they're just producing their generic cash cow MMO with whatever existing IP they can put it in with an existing fanbase. If it wasn't PS it'd be something else, Shenmue maybe I don't know.

That's right, IIRC. Phantasy Star Online was never originally intended to be a Phantasy Star game at it's onset. They just wanted an online RPG for the Dreamcast to show off it's internet connectivity... and since PS was still in the Sonic Team stable rather than following Kodama and Yoshida to Overworks, they just slapped a very thin coat of PS paint over top of what they had, developed the rest with some legacy throwbacks (tech names, healing items, some enemies, Falz, etc), and promoted it as a Phantasy Star game.

Searren from PSIII was originally intended to make an appearance, and concept art was drawn up for him, but it was a minor cameo and time constraints killed his part before it even got really worked up. Apparently it wasn't important enough to revive for Ep II or Blue Burst. I think Ep I was a much bigger success than they thought it would be, and it just took on a life of it's own from there. There's a ton of concept art from The Book of Hunters here.

[Gama]

so much nostalgia watching the first videos from pso beta...

[Kierto]

I think Ep I was a much bigger success than they thought it would be, and it just took on a life of it's own from there.

IIRC PSO v1 sold nearly as much as Sega expected it to but not beyond that. It was the fact players stayed online for lengths of time that surprised them (and the critical acclaim). The game was designed around the idea of twenty days of play per character (hence packaged with the first free month) but no one cared and kept playing and playing. Thus, Ver. 2 released within 6 months.

[RadiantLegend]

Its a shame PSO2 will be forgettable just like PSU then again ep2 might save it /yeahright

[BIG OLAF]

Can this thread please not turn into a PSO circlejerk

we were doing so good with that for the longest time

[gigawuts]

IIRC PSO v1 sold nearly as much as Sega expected it to but not beyond that. It was the fact players stayed online for lengths of time that surprised them (and the critical acclaim). The game was designed around the idea of twenty days of play per character (hence packaged with the first free month) but no one cared and kept playing and playing. Thus, Ver. 2 released within 6 months.

This is exactly why I felt v2 launched. They didn't think anyone would play PSO nearly that long, because as is pointed out fairly frequently: It had many of the same faults PSO2 does. Horrendous droprates, not enough weapon ability variety, etc. But it was a good framework, which is what people loved.

V2 was them jumping on the money they were missing by not charging a subscription fee. The content itself, for sega, was inconsequential - it was still just their cash cow and people were still going to play it endlessly - but for the players it was helped define a decade's worth of gaming.

Which is why I'm not sure if we should expect much with episode 2. They already have their cash cow set up. The set up is the only time PSO1 ever really changed. They COULD capitalize on opportunities to make more, but this is Sega.

[Kierto]

V2 was them jumping on the money they were missing by not charging a subscription fee. The content itself, for sega, was inconsequential - it was still just their cash cow and people were still going to play it endlessly - but for the players it was helped define a decade's worth of gaming.

I always wonder how this would've played out (if at all different) had Isao Okawa not passed away. For those who don't know, Okawa was chairman of Sega during the birth of the Dreamcast. He was directly responsible for Sega's push towards console internet gaming and it was he who pretty much forced the Diablo-clone project on to Naka's team as the Sakura Wars, JSR and AM2 etc teams were all busy. There were little to no staff from PSIV still at Sega to boot.

Okawa was determined to make internet console gaming happen, and quite literally funded the entire Dreamcast's first year of Internet service out of his own pocket (it's why it was free) and championed PSO's/Third World's potential. He was then hospitalized during its development and died a few months after its release so he never got to actually witness its critical success, impact or input where it should head.

[BlankM]

I actually didn't know anything about the origin of PSO. Interesting information indeed.

I am definitely one of the people brought back from PSO who simply skipped out on PSU. Granted, I gave it a chance and just didn't like it. So in that way the title "PSO2" definitely did its job in obtaining my interest again considering how I felt watching all the early gameplay vids and feeling like some ambition was behind their words.(A different adventure every day you log in? Who doesn't want that!) But I feel like they just had the wrong implementation with all the randomness.

I did play PSP and PS0 but seeing PSU and the late PSP2 content just never come here really just made me think the series was essentially dead in the US to SEGA. If it weren't for friends getting me into PSO2, I don't think I would have bothered with the localization. Now I just hear stories about PSU and PSP and think "If they could even do half the stuff they did in those games PSO2 might actually be worth sticking around for." So I'm not a complete pessimist, as naive and ignorant I may be on the subject.

I always wonder how this would've played out (if at all different) had Isao Okawa not passed away. For those who don't know, Okawa was chairman of Sega during the birth of the Dreamcast. He was directly responsible for Sega's push towards console internet gaming and it was he who pretty much forced the Diablo-clone project on to Naka's team as the Sakura Wars, JSR and AM2 etc teams were all busy. There were little to no staff from PSIV still at Sega to boot.

Okawa was determined to make internet console gaming happen, and quite literally funded the entire Dreamcast's first year of Internet service himself (it's why it was free) and championed PSO's/Third World's potential. He was then hospitalized during its development and died days after its release so he never got to actually witness its critical success, impact or where it should head.

That is also sad to hear. So many things that plagued the Dreamcast's release were quite unfortunate.

[Rololf]

Not sure where to put this so I'll just throw here '_'b

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