Phantasy Star Online 2 Coming to North America, Europe Early Next Year

Despite the fact that Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced a couple of years ago now for release in Japan, Sega never made mention of whether or not–rather, when the free-to-play sequel would be making its way to North America and Europe. Finally, we now know.

Following Phantasy Star Online 2‘s official release in Japan, Sega announced that the long-awaited true sequel to its popular online action RPG from the Dreamcast era will be making its way to North America and Europe early 2013.

“Phantasy Star Online was a revolutionary game when it was released, and we want to make sure that its successor in the series is every bit as ambitious,” said Chris Olson, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We look forward to introducing Phantasy Star Online 2’s unique, easy-to-access multiplayer action to the rest of the world next year!”

According to the press release, Phantasy Star Online 2 features a new and improved combat system that allows for players to pull off combos and counters. Sega touts randomized dungeons as another big feature, which will “ensure each quest is different for each player”

“The number one thing we want to provide players in Phantasy Star Online 2 is an adventure that changes every time they log in,” producer Satoshi Sakai said of Phantasy Star Online 2. “Just as great table-top RPG experiences revolve around imaginative and unexpected encounters, we want players to consistently be surprised as they explore dungeons and undertake quests.”

To go along with the announcement, Sega re-released a Phantasy Star Online 2 cinematic that we saw awhile back. It may not show anything new, but it just may be enough to get you excited to return to the world of Phantasy Star Online.

If you’d like to check it out, see below.