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Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Game Launches Worldwide in June

Sega announced on Thursday during a livestream program that its Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis game will launch in June for Xbox One and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store in the West, and for PlayStation 4, PC, and Switch (cloud version) in Japan.

A character creator benchmark application will launch ahead of the game's release in May. There will be a global closed beta test for PC on May 14-16. A Starter Pack will launch in Japan on August 19, and it will include a mini soundtrack and in-game items. The game will also get a Limited Edition and DLC.

New characters that will debut with the game include Aina, Mannon, Garoa, and Dozer. The game will also feature ornaments, finger emotes, and customizable expresssions.

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 2020. The game then launched on PC via the Microsoft Store in North America on May 2020.

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.

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 left) premiered in October 2019. Funimation streamed the series as it aired.

Source: Phantasy Star Online 2 game's YouTube channel via Gematsu