**Although Sega shut down their servers for Phantasy Star Online following the Dreamcast’s discontinuation, fans have since kept the MMORPG alive with unofficial servers. Despite connecting players and reviving the late 2000 release, one of the largest Phantasy Star Online servers around today has sadly shut down.
Schtserv as it was known originally started life as an unofficial server for the PC version of the game. Following plenty of interest, both the Dreamcast and Gamecube versions were subsequently supported, along with the later release Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst. In order to connect to the server, gamers needed a copy of Phantasy Star Online along with a broadband adapter for either the Gamecube or Dreamcast.
While the number of connected players to the server at any point never reached numbers that the Dreamcast’s online arena once boasted, it proved that there was still life in retro online gaming. Fans of the game, however, can rest assured as there is still two more unofficial Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst servers out there such as Ultima and Ephinea. Although both of these are free to play, they are just for the PC release rather than the console originals.**
