Phantasy Star Online v1.0 days are numbered

TOKYO--Today, Sega’s Sonic Team announced that Japanese game servers for the GameCube version of Phantasy Star Online, v1.0 would be shut down on March 26, 2004. Users have been able to trade in their copies of PSO for a version 1.1 disc since November 2002, and Sega has decided that the upgrade process is almost complete.

After the March 26 shutdown, all users will have to play on the version 1.1 servers, which are already in operation. Gamers that haven’t upgraded yet can still trade in their old copies of the game for a copy of the newer version, and to commemorate the switch, Sonic Team has decided to run the version 1.0 servers for free for a week--before pulling the plug for good.