Phantasy Star Portable Sells 500,000 Copies in Japan

The PSP has been a massive success for Sony in Japan, with hardware sales recently eclipsing those of the Nintendo DS (Japan is the only territory where this is the case). The Japanese have also driven strong software sales on the handheld, snapping up copies of titles like Monster Hunter Portable and Patapon. The newest offering from Sega, Phantasy Star Portable, looks set to join those other titles as a million seller on the PSP, before it even leaves Japan.

According to Japanese gaming magazine Watch Impress, the game has already shipped half a million copies during its first week on sale in that country, earning it a top spot in the software sales charts for all handheld and console platforms.

Sony undoubtedly hopes for the same kind of success for the title when it arrives in North America later this year. It will be interesting to see how the game is received by fans who may remember the excellent Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online.

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