Earlier this month, Final Weapon‘s Raul Ochoa and Payne Grist had the opportunity to interview Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis director Daiki Hamazaki. Our interview delves into the recent updates and Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, along with the possibilities for new Creative Space themes and ideas for new zones. A special thanks to Hamazaki-san for his time!
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your background for our readers?
Daiki Hamazaki: My name is Daiki Hamazaki, and I am the series director for PSO2 New Genesis. I have been involved with the PSO2 series since before its launch, and at the time I oversaw player actions and enemies. After serving as the director for Episodes 4 and 5, I became the director for NGS, and I have been serving as the series director since NGS ver.2.
As series director of the Phantasy Star Online series, what does your role entail for PSO2 New Genesis and more specifically, the latest updates for June?
Daiki Hamazaki: Nameless City Exploration, released in June, was developed with the concepts of exploration and replayability in mind. The exploration gameplay in NGS’s open field becomes less replayable after several content releases, so we felt it was crucial to introduce content that retains the exploration element, while also providing replayability. This time we were able to create a different type of exploration gameplay to the open field by adding treasure hunt- like elements, such as obtaining points and opening as many chests as possible within a time limit, alongside a sense of thrill that comes from battles even with regular enemies. At the same time, by implementing the EX Augments, we were able to further strengthen the hack-and-slash aspect, which is one of the charms of NGS, and we believe that this synergistic effect ensures replayability.
The new Nameless City zone looks incredible and encourages fans to explore to their hearts content. What can players expect from the Nameless City, and are there any elements that will carry forward into new zones?
Daiki Hamazaki: Since Leciel Exploration, we have been developing a new field with a sci-fi feel that fits right into the Phantasy Star series. This time we have further incorporated elements that are reminiscent of PSO2, and we believe we have created something that all PSO2 fans will enjoy. Implementing artificial fields takes some time, so while it’s difficult to implement them frequently, we are considering more for future updates.
Many of PSO2 NGS’ story scenes shine when there’s teamwork and camaraderie between the ARKS characters. Are players going to see the ARKS cast expand in the immediate future, or will the team focus on established characters from the story thus far?
Daiki Hamazaki: Any future story releases will likely primarily focus on the characters that have appeared so far.
The level cap increased to 90 with the June 5th update, and PSO2 NGS players have plenty of ways to strengthen their ARKS operatives. Does the team have any plans to introduce even more challenging, high-level content that will test players and their new abilities?
We plan to regularly add content that allows players to test out their strengthened characters’ power. The most recent content to challenge their strength is Sign of the Planetbreaker (Rank 2), which released starting June 19th.
The inclusion of Far-East inspired items is a great way to expand the player’s creative potential and further personalize their Creative Space. What other cultures or styles would the team like to implement in future updates?
Daiki Hamazaki: We are delighted to see that the new themes have been well received. We have a range of ideas, such as medieval, western, and steampunk themes, but we would like to look at the usage rate of the new themes before making a comprehensive decision regarding future updates.
PSO2 NGS hosts collaborations with other fan-favorite games and popular anime that attract new and returning players. With Sonic the Hedgehog’s birthday celebration arriving on June 12, what can players expect in terms of new content in the collaboration?
Daiki Hamazaki: We will have a new quest available for our collaboration with Sonic the Hedgehog. This quest has evolved from last year’s version and offers players the chance to enjoy the hyper-speed characteristic of Sonic himself.
Additionally, players will also be able to obtain the Eredim Series through this quest, giving them the opportunity to get weapons with EX Augments affixed.
Please note that this year’s Sonic collaboration wrapped on June 25th. But we encourage you to stay tuned for information on future collaborations.
Three years have already passed since the launch of PSO2 NGS. Since the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S generation is well underway, does the team have any plans to introduce graphical updates and improvements for PSO 2: NGS on those specific platforms?
Daiki Hamazaki: We currently do not have any plans to make any graphics-related updates.
Is there anything else you would like to share with PSO2 NGS fans?
Daiki Hamazaki: We have reached the 3rd anniversary of NGS, and the 12th anniversary of PSO2 thanks to all of our players.
So, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to you. The development and operation teams together are committed to bringing you content and implementing measures for the game so that ARKS can enjoy it for as long as possible. We hope our players will continue with us on this journey.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games Store, Windows, and Steam.
