Sega of Japan has announced that on December 27, 2010, the Japanese PSO: Blue Burst servers will be shutting down for good.
The shutdown of these servers marks the official end of Phantasy Star Online. This comes after a ten-year run on four platforms, beginning with the Dreamcast in 2000. It's been a remarkable run for the game, and although the official final shutdown of PSO is a sad moment for many, it should also be noted that there is a silver lining here as well.
In the shutdown announcement, it was also announced that Sega / Sonic Team is considering ways to give players the opportunity to beta test Phantasy Star Online 2. The common belief is that the PSO: Blue Burst servers are being shut down to prepare for PSO2, and if this is in fact the case, perhaps a release is not as far off as we all originally thought. However, no firm release date has been announced for either the United States or Japan.
The sale of Hunters Licenses ends on November 29, and free play begins on November 30th. After that, things could get interesting.
