Great news for those that have been continuing to struggle against the roughly-hewn storefront that is the Microsoft Store; Phantasy Star Online 2 is officially coming to the Steam platform and is releasing on August 5, 2020.
Eight years after it initially released in Japan on July 4, 2012.
While the question on the minds of users yet to dive into the world may be precisely how well a 2012 MMO will fare in the current western market, others will be thrilled that they will no longer need to use the Microsoft Store to manage the launcher and game files; a monumental headache for users.
To the point that a popular file manager named PSO2 Tweaker is used by well over 80,000 people to manage the files and downloads necessary for MMO patching.
In the past, users have had to ‘go nuclear’ on file repositories that Microsoft installs onto Windows 10 via the Microsoft Store, hoping to get their files validated so they can log in; a common question after patching for users is whether or not they’ll be able to play the title at all.
[embed]https://twitter.com/play_pso2/status/1288157286767173632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]Thus, the free-to-play Phantasy Star Online 2 releasing onto the Steam platform in a week is fantastic news for everyone that is interested in dipping their digital toes into the water.
Some are noting that it’s simply a case of ‘too little, too late’ as Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is scheduled to release sometime in 2021, where it will wipe the vast majority of stats for most players. Users can keep their weapons, but the numbers that the weapons do will change.
So halfway through 2020, we’re finally going to get a playable (and manageable) version of Phantasy Star Online 2, but a new iteration will arrive in as early as five months that means everyone will need to start anew.
It’s not the strongest message to send out to fans that have been discussing if it’s even worth looking into Phantasy Star Online 2 before New Genesis releases, much the same way that Final Fantasy 14 was wiped for A Realm Reborn that fixed many issues with the title.
New Genesis is going to be a separate game, however; players can continue to play Phantasy Star Online 2 instead of switching over to New Genesis. Further, Phantasy Star Online 2 has had eight years of active development and support that players can comb through to learn about the world, participate in exciting events, and generally whet their appetites for the upcoming New Genesis.
Mark the calenders: August 5 will be a fantastic time to answer more than a few questions about the fabled MMO, explore troves of content, and not fight tooth-and-nail with the frustrating Microsoft Store; all for free.