As we've already posted, today was the day – Sega has officially announced a Western version of Phantasy Star Online 2, the official web site is now live, and Edward was hinting at a PSO2 announcement after all.
But we won't see the game in English until sometime in 2013. How exactly are players supposed to respond to this news?
A 2013 release is, in the best case, six months away. That gives players six months to progress through the Japanese version of the game, develop character(s) and enjoy the latest content, and decide that the English game is not worth their time. That's also an implicit indication that the game servers will not be linked internationally. It's a possible (and probable) gap in content between the English and Japanese servers.
Of course, six months is only the minimum. The release will probably be further away than January.
Did Sega learn anything from Phantasy Star Universe?
Of course, absolutely no detailed information was provided about the game, so for all we know, linked servers are still possible (though I wouldn't hold my breath for it). And, in a post on the official PSU forums, Edward mentioned that Sega is trying to figure out how to address content gaps that appear when the game goes live in the West. So I guess there is hope.
Though I'm happy that an English version of PSO2 has been announced, I'm extremely nervous that the 2013 release will kill the game before it even gets here. A lot of people (myself included) are already playing the Japanese version—will any of those people care enough to start all over again six months (or more) down the road? Will their money be saved to buy premium content on the English servers, or will it be spent on the Japanese servers where it will do more good?
If Sega wants to keep players interested in the English version of Phantasy Star Online 2, they should start talking.
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