PSO2: New Genesis Series Producer Yuya Kimura Considers PSO "Like My Own Child" And Explains Why You Should Return To The MMO

It’s been almost two weeks since Sega dropped its big Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis December update, adding content that would help players new and returning get caught up and ready to keep progressing the story in the MMO. This update also included the game’s 2.5-year anniversary celebration event.

To celebrate the update and the anniversary, Sega offered us the opportunity to ask Phantasy Star Online Series Producer Yuya Kimura some questions, not just about NGS, but about his time with Sega and the Phantasy Star IP as a whole. Of course, we couldn’t turn down the offer, so we sent a few questions their way, and now we have the answers.

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MMOBomb: Tell us about yourself and how you got into the industry.

Yuya Kimura: My name is Yuya Kimura, and I’m the series producer for Phantasy Star Online 2 NEW GENESIS (NGS) at SEGA.

I have been with the Group for 21 years.

I began my career at Sonic Team Inc. as a part-time game designer, primarily creating quests for Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II, which were in operation at the time. During this time, SEGA was still split into separate development studios.

MMOB: Have you always been at Sega, or have you worked for other developers? If so, what makes Sega different?

YK: When I was a student at a game-related vocational school, I worked for about two months as a part-time assistant at another company through a teacher at the school. I was still a student at the time, though, so I guess you could basically say that my history in the game industry = my history with Sega. I had to drop out of technical school due to personal circumstances, but in the Japanese game industry, there were almost no full-time jobs available for inexperienced game designers without a university or technical school diploma, and at the time, there were very few part-time job openings for inexperienced workers. The first such opening I saw was at Sonic Team, so I applied there, and that was honestly the reason I joined the company.

Therefore, it is difficult to make comparisons because I have never worked for another company properly. When I started working part-time, I thought I would quit after I had two or three years of experience under my belt and change jobs, but I ended up working here for such a long time. So at the very least, I think this company must suit my personality.

MMOB: You’ve been working on the Phantasy Star IP for a long time. What’s made you stick with this one series for so long?

YK: When I first joined the company part-time, I was fortunate to be involved in Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, which has a large number of fans. The series continues to grow along with its fans via online operations and by releasing sequels, and I think one of the reasons I have been able to continue working with the series for so long is that I have been able to develop my skills and career through my involvement in the series.

No matter how much I want to continue working on a title, if the series is discontinued, that's the end of it. In the process of working on the Phantasy Star series, I’ve also developed an attachment to it, and I think my top motivation now is that I consider it to be like my own child.

MMOB: What’s your favorite thing about the Phantasy Star series? What are some things you like to see added in the future?

YK: I’d always wanted to get into the game industry because I love action RPGs. Since I was a student, I've always loved robot games and anime, so those are the parts of the series that I personally have always enjoyed.

I am also proud of the fact that, as an online game, the system is really good in that it’s easy to form a party and it’s also easy to enjoy casual co-op without needing to form a party. As the initial director of Phantasy Star Online 2 (PSO2), I created detailed specifications for the multiparty quest system myself and developed it with great care.

I believe that concept has been followed in the current expedition system in NGS, and although I am now one step removed from the development process, as a producer, I always tell my development team to be aware of this point.

MMOB: You’ve just dropped a big update in Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, what were the big goals for this particular update? Do you feel you’ve succeeded with it?

YK: In June 2023, the game was upgraded to Phantasy Star Online 2 NEW GENESIS ver. 2 and new elements such as Creative Space and Portable Holograms were implemented that attracted new players and brought back returning players.

However, the battle content for core users released from August onwards had a high barrier to play. In addition, many people who played the content felt that the rewards were not commensurate with the difficulty level or playtime. For those reasons, some people gave up playing midway through.

In response, we made adjustments in October and November, including easing the Join Conditions to make them easier to meet, rebalancing rewards, and implementing a boost campaign.

In addition, in December, we will be making NGS easier to play than ever before by further easing requirements and revamping rewards. We hope this will bring back inactive players and entice new users to try NGS.

As for the response to the update, as of this writing, it has only been less than a week since it was released, so we haven’t been able to see all the results yet, but we know that it has been generally well received, and the number of active users is gradually increasing.

MMOB: For new players looking to come in, is there anything you’d like them to know?

YK: Although it’s been two-and-a-half years since we launched NGS, I’m happy to say that it’s a game anyone and everyone can still pick up and enjoy.

For example, to make it easier to catch up with the top players, there’s a permanent +300% boost to EXP Earned in Combat Sectors up to a certain level.

Also, just by leveling up, you’ll get pre-enhanced equipment appropriate for your level. Until you reach the highest level, you’ll have no real problems with your equipment.

The latest chapter of the story is Chapter 6. We’ve eased back on the overall difficulty of progressing through the story—as a reward for completing Chapter 5, for example, you get a huge amount of the in-game currency, N-Meseta, as well as tons of avatar items. This lets you quickly push ahead with your adventures while enjoying fashion and other aspects of the game.

So there’s no reason to shy away from the game, it’s not at all too late to get started. If you’re even just a bit curious about NGS, I encourage you to go ahead and give it a try, since the base game is free to play.

MMOB: This update also celebrates a kind of unusual milestone, the two-and-a-half-year Anniversary. Was there anything specific behind the choice to celebrate a half-year mark? It’s not something most developers do.

YK: A half-anniversary celebration campaign may not be a common practice in online PC/console games like NGS, but in fact, it has become fairly normal for smartphone games in Japan and Asia in recent years. We had been thinking it would be an interesting initiative and wanted to incorporate it if the opportunity arose.

For the reasons I mentioned earlier, the timing of the updates that gave shape to our desire to make NGS easier to play coincided with the 2.5-year anniversary in December, so we decided to take this opportunity to do it.

If the event is well received, we hope to make it an annual event going forward.

MMOB: Speaking of milestones, is there anything over your time working on the Phantasy Star series that really stands out to you as a favorite moment?

YK: In the course of continuing the series for such a long time, we often hear that people have become best friends or even gotten married as a result of the series, and these stories make us feel truly happy to have created the game.

We recently received a wonderful report that one of our Official Creators got married to another Official Creator as a result of the NGS Official Creator program, which features NGS video streamers.

Especially in the case of online games, we are always aware that there are people for whom playing that game has become a part of their lives, but hearing stories like that really brings home that the entertainment we’ve created is enriching a part of our players’ lives.

MMOB: Is there any message you’d like to give to players of the Phantasy Star games?

YK: To all the cherished fans of the Phantasy Star series and dedicated ARKS who embark on adventures in NGS, thank you for enjoying this series. NGS celebrated its 2.5th anniversary in December. In celebration of this occasion and as a token of appreciation to all NGS players, we are currently running the Super Genesis Festival, a phantastic campaign taking place during the New Year's holiday season.

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This campaign offers numerous benefits not only to existing players but also to new players and those who have been on a break. We encourage everyone to come and join in. Now’s the time to play NGS!

We’d like to thank Yuya Kimura for taking the time to answer our questions and, for the Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis players among us, if you haven’t hopped in to see what the new update is about, now might be the time.