PSO-World has added 25 avatars to the Phantasy Star Online 2 category. You can use these new forum avatars by going to your User Control Panel and clicking on "Edit Avatar."


Credit goes to Kayarine for submitting these avatars.

Sega has announced that it will be removing several of its older games from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Samsung App Store, and Amazon App Store over the next few weeks. According to this news article, Phantasy Star II is among the games slated to be removed. The only reason cited for these removals was that the games no longer met Sega company standards. Sega mentioned the games might return in the future as remastered releases given the "right situation."

If you have purchased any of the games slated for removal, you still be able to continue playing them. They will continue to be available in your purchased apps list in case you delete a game or acquire a new device.

Sega released a statement today announcing that it will be offering early retirement packages to a large number of its employees. Also, the company will reposition itself to focus primarily on mobile games for smartphones and PC games. This represents a significant shift away from previous focus on being a console developer. As part of its restructuring, Sega of America will sell its iconic San Francisco office and relocate to southern California by Summer 2015. It is expected these changes will result in substantial savings and allow the company to focus its resources.

Sega of Japan announced today that the Japanese Phantasy Star Universe servers will be shutdown at 12 am JST on September 27, 2012. In addition, the Guardians Cash service and game key distribution will be discontinued on August 28, 2012. Any remaining Guardians Cash will either be converted into Phantasy Star Online 2 Arkz Cash or refunded as WebMoney AC. Finally, from August 30 to September 27, 2012, Premium Course will become available to all players.

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

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.

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.