Much excitement was had around the web last week when it was reported on many sites that the SEA version of Phantasy Star Online 2 was no longer blocking non-Asian country’s IPs. Some were quick to point out that it would switch back, or perhaps the removal was due to temporary server maintenance, but many (like myself) hoped it was a sign of Sega loosening their grip on title.

Unfortunately, reports (thanks, Kamikaze Teemo) have come in from several places that the IP block has returned, with western players now getting errors when trying to connect. Some are reporting that even the previous method of using VPNs no longer works, with many of them being banned. Details can be found in this Reddit post.

It turns out that the IP block was removed to help people within the game’s “official” territories connect to the server, supposedly alleviating the latency and connection issues they have been experiencing as of late.

The saddest part of this story is that those westerners who spent money in the cash shop are now unable to access the digital goods they have purchased. One does have to wonder what they will do if all of these people file a chargeback on their cards and get refunded the money.