Phantasy Star Online 2 officially launches for Xbox One in North America, PC release set for late May
Sega has announced that Phantasy Star Online 2 has moved out of beta and has officially launched for Xbox One in North America. Additionally, Sega announced that the PC version of the game will be available in late May as a Microsoft Store exclusive. There will be cross-play between the Xbox and PC versions.
Find the press release in full from Sega below, alongside a new screenshot set.
Tokyo, April 15, 2020 – SEGA announced today the official launch of Phantasy Star Online 2 on Xbox One in North America. Players can download the free-to-play game now on the Microsoft Store. SEGA also announced today that PSO2 will make its North American debut on PC in late May, exclusively in the Microsoft store. Cross-play between Xbox One and PC will begin at that time. Other announcements accompanied the official release as well.
ARKS (soldiers of the Oracle colony fleet in the Phantasy Star Online 2 series) are invited to join together online to explore numerous worlds with friends and experience PSO2's unparalleled action combat and character customization. Choosing from four unique races and nine classes, players can join forces with up to eleven other operatives at a time to experience unforgettable battles and boss fights.
"Phantasy Star Online 2 changed the history of Online Action RPG's; the sci-fi story, characters, and gameplay has resonated with gamers worldwide and now we're excited to bring North American players this special game -- for free," said Fred White, PSO2 TEAM North America's Head of Marketing. "Our player community is the heart and soul of the game and we couldn't have done it without their ongoing support and passion. Now that it is officially launched on Xbox One, we look forward to kicking off a fun-filled future of events, collaborations and expansions in the years to come!"
The North American launch includes fully localized text and character voices in English, spanning three years of content. In addition to the immersive original PSO2 story, the NA version also features the most-up-to-date balancing and quality-of-life improvements from the Japanese service. Players will be able to choose from four races and nine classes while tackling various missions and collecting Xbox One Achievements. They can also take a break from questing by playing one of the many Casino mini-games, chilling in the Alliance Quarters, or attending all-new live stage events. All progress from the betas will be carried over.
To celebrate the full launch of PSO2, SEGA has a number of surprises lined up for players in North America:
- Every day between April 15th-23rd, ARKS Operatives will receive a special log-in bonus when they report for duty! The Half Scape Doll is able to sacrifice itself to revive players automatically if they become incapacitated on the battlefield – a real boost when fighting the Falspawn.
- ARKS who join an Alliance with at least four members before April 28th will receive a SG20 Ticket (x1). And members of Alliances that have earned at least 5,000 Alliance Points before April 28th will receive the collectable emote #269: Impromptu Tea Party!
- Two new Urgent Quests: "The Cunning Black Winged Vanguard" & "The False Champion: Luther the Fallen" begin this week.
- PSO2 Diva, Quna, returns for live concerts on Saturdays and Sundays!
- The Cherry Blossom season is coming to Phantasy Star Online 2 with a new look to the renowned Franca's Café! Certain ARKS Ship lobbies will also change their appearances periodically.
- PSO2 is one of the first games to be included in Microsoft's new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks program! All PSO2 players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will receive extra special goodies after their first log in, including an Xbox jacket and Xbox Controller accessory for their character to show off in-game. Additional Perks will be made available every month, such as bonus Half Scape Dolls and more.
- The ever-expanding catalog of outfits and accessories to collect and mix-and-match continues to grow with the introduction of the Heroic Wanderer AC Scratch Ticket.
More fun and surprises are in store for ARKS in 2020 -- details can be found at https://pso2.com/. For additional up-to-the-minute details and updates, players can follow @play_PSO2 on Twitter, @PSO2Official on Facebook and @play_pso2 on Instagram.
