Is Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis an Update or New Game?

Microsoft and Sega surprised everyone today with the announcement of Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis. Revealed as part of the PSO 20th anniversary celebration, this game… update… thing is scheduled for a global release in 2021, including North America and Japan. Once again, the target platforms are Xbox (One and Series X) and PC Windows 10, but keep your fingers crossed for a Steam release instead of the trainwreck that was the PSO2 Microsoft Store launch. After all is said and done, one question remains: is Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis a new game or an update to the existing game?

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis: New Game or Update?

Microsoft's communication in this regard is far from clear. The official PSO2 Facebook page says the following: “Today, during Microsoft's #XboxGamesShowcase, we proudly announced a brand-new title in the #PSO2 series, PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 NEW GENESIS!” So this means that it's a brand-new game, right? That is just awesome, don't you think?

Don't celebrate just yet, because other official sources say an entirely different thing. For example, the reveal trailer that you can see below comes with the following description: “Celebrating PSO’s 20th anniversary, PSO2: NGS is the latest entry in the series, updating PSO2’s game system and graphics engine. We’re planning to release this update on a global scale, including Japan and North America.”

The words “this update” stand out, and the conflicting info is causing quite a bit of confusion among excited players. Yes, despite the confusion, the trailer was very well received and there's a lot of excitement for the release of Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

So, is Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis an update or a new game? We're entirely convinced that it is an update, or better, a massive engine and world overhaul, and here is the reasoning for it. First, the game title – you don't release a “brand-new game” and still keep the “2” in there. Second, there are other games doing the same, with the most notable one being the Unreal Engine 4 upgrade called Blade and Soul: Complete or Blade and Soul: Frontier World, you name it.

But the line between update and new game is blurred. The promises of a game system and graphics engine overhaul means that the end result is going to be a lot different, and the reveal trailer already shows that. In the end, this was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise which we will expand upon as soon as we have more info.