News
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Game Announced for 2021
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The Xbox Games Showcase announced the Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis game on Thursday for release in 2021. The game is listed for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in the West. The game is listed for the PlayStation 4 and PC in Japan, with a cloud version for the Nintendo Switch and PC.
The "massive update" will mark the 20th anniversary of Phantasy Star Online and launch instead of a new episode after the release of Phantasy Star Online 2's Episode 6. The Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis open-field online role-playing game will feature an upgraded graphics engine and game system. The game will also have a new story, battle system, and character creation system. The game's official website notes that the "twin universes" of Phantasy Star Online 2 and Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis "exist side by side," and players will be able to switch between the two.
Sega released the free-to-play Phantasy Star Online 2 role-playing game for Windows PC in Japan in 2012, followed by a PlayStation Vita release in 2013, and an Android and iOS release in April and May 2014, respectively. The game debuted on PS4 in April 2016. A cloud version of the game for the Switch titled Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud launched in April 2018, and then launched for PC in December 2018.
The game launched on Xbox One in North America in April. The game then launched on PC via the Microsoft Store in North America on May 27.
The game inspired the Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation television anime, which features a completely original story. The 12-episode series premiered in January 2016, and Sentai Filmworks and Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan. Sentai Filmworks released the series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in March 2017.
More recently, the game's official Puso Ni Comi: Phantasy Star Online 2 Comic web manga inspired a series of web anime shorts that began streaming weekly on the Phantasy Star channels on YouTube and Niconico in January 2019.
A new television anime adaptation of the game titled Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle (seen right) premiered last October. Funimation streamed the series as it aired.
Sources: Xbox's YouTube channel, Phantasy Star Online 2's website, Phantasy Star game series' YouTube channel via Siliconera
