After having North American fans wait for eight years, today Sega finally officially launched Phantasy Star Online 2 in North America.
Today we get the release of the Xbox One version, while the PC version will go live in late May, with no specific release date available just yet.
The game is free to play with optional microtransactions, so everyone can join.
To celebrate the release, Sega announced a series of initiatives:
- 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.
PSO2 Team North America’s head of marketing Fred White accompanied the press release with a statement.
“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.
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!”
Progress from the betas carries over to the live servers, and Phantasy Star Online 2 will support cross-play with the PC version when it launches.
Below you can check out a few official screenshots of the launch content.