Phantasy Star Online (2000)
SEGA's Phantasy Star Online is a multiplayer online roleplaying game. Originally released on the Dreamcast in the Japan market in 2000, Phantasy Star Online would later be released in the U.S. and EU regions in 2001. Although technically not an MMORPG in the traditional sense (as it did not feature a shared open world), Phantasy Star Online is recognized as one of the first major MMORPGs from the early 2000s. Also, it is the first online RPG that is primarily intended for consoles, although it has been ported to desktop computers as well. The game would eventually become available for Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, GameCube, and Xbox platforms. The last official servers were shut down in 2010, although there are private servers run by fans online.
How Many People Play Phantasy Star Online (2000)?
We estimate that 7,246 people play per day, with a total player base of 254,250.
Game Data
- Subscribers: 254,250
- Daily Players: 7,246
- Genres: Shooter, Adventure, RPG, Strategy
- Platforms: PC, Dreamcast, GameCube
- Released: 2000-12-21
The Players and Daily login numbers are estimations based on subscriber numbers and online sentiment.
Phantasy Star Online (2000) Description
The first online RPG based on the long-running Phantasy Star series of games, Phantasy Star Online was developed by Sonic Team and published by SEGA. Phantasy Star Online breaks away from the turn-based gameplay of the original Phantasy Star games. Instead, it uses a real-time action system. Players in Phantasy Star Online chose between a selection of races and classes from the Phantasy Star lore. There are 3 races and a total of 12 classes, which represent the character's abilities. The races in Phantasy Star Online are the Humans, Newmans, and Androids.
Each race had a broad selection of classes between 3 main categories: Hunter, Ranger, and Forces. Hunter types are the close combat classes, Rangers are the ranged specialists, and Forces types are experts in the use of techniques.
Unlike most MMORPGs, Phantasy Star Online allowed for offline play. In this mode, players can go solo in exploring Ragol, the planet where the events of the game take place. Online play allowed players to chat and form multiplayer teams of up to 4 players. They could interact on their own instance of the hub ship Pioneer 2 and enter Ragol's forests, caves, mines, and ruins areas. Players in Phantasy Star Online can undertake specific quests which determine the rewards they receive at the completion.