In a statement made by Sega, they have officially confirmed Phantasy Star Online 2 will be indeed making its way to western markets sometime in 2013. The controversy of PSO2 staying in Japan has been long argued by many of its fans. The game actually did launch in Japan last week on the Fourth of July and was very well-received by both new and old players of the PSO franchise. In fact, it was so well-received, that players were willing to play the game in japanese, whether they knew what they were doing or not.

I can’t wait! Phantasy Star Online was one of the first games that got me into gaming and I’ve always enjoyed every one of its sequels up to this day. From the looks of things, it appears that PSO2 will be based more on the classic PSO series but still have a touch of the few features enjoyed in the more recent Phantasy Star Universe. Best of both worlds? Yes please! The one interesting factor is Sega has decided to drop the subscription plan they’ve always done and have gone for the free-to-play business model, using a cash shop that allows players to purchase additional characters, reset stats, or access optional premium content. I like the idea because it allows the game to be accessed by a larger group of people.

No details about an exact release date for PSO2 have been released other than it comes out in 2013. I guess they still have to translate and localize the game. PSO2 will be making its way to the android and iphone market as well as a version for the PS Vita, which is cross-platform between the PC version, will also be released in 2013. No word on a console release, but with a 2013 launch, perhaps we could see PSO2 come to the Wii U, since the game was pretty successful on the Gamecube awhile back.