SEGA Investing In Free-To-Play, But No Solid News On Phantasy Star Online 2

SEGA isn't quite giving up on its console titles, but it's not real happy with them either and intends to make a bigger push in the free-to-play market in the coming years.

According to SEGA's most recent financial report, "packaged games" didn't fare so well, being described as "weak due to the harsh market environment." Free-to-play gaming, though? Everything's coming up roses!

On the other hand, in the field of digital game software for mobile phones, smartphones, and PC downloading, the entire field of digital game software remained strong.

Most of the F2P games mentioned in SEGA's report are of the typical mobile variety, though PC titles do get a call-out, even if it comes at the expense of non-F2P, packaged games:

the field of digital game software for smartphones and online PC games as the center of growth and will promptly shift management resources from fields such as packaged game software and amusement machine. In the field of digital game software in which market growth is expected to continue

Mentioned in that same positive breath as a "mainstay title" is Phantasy Star Online 2 -- and no, there's no talk of when the MMO will be coming to the West. However, if there's anything good to be gleaned from all this, it's that SEGA is hopping even more fully onto the F2P bandwagon, which could prompt them to devote, you know, actual resources to PSO2's Western release. We can only hope.