Naka-san (head of Sonic Team) said that if Nintendo wouldn't release the GameCube modem soon, alongside with the release of PSOv2, he might yank out the online stuff and make it a straight 4-player split screen game.

Here's what he had to say:

"I'm hoping that the GameCube version will [release] at the same time in all countries, although it really depends on when Nintendo is going to launch its online services ... There are other technical problems as well, but that's what I'm aiming for. PSO is designed to be an online game, although there is a chance the game will come out before online [play through a GameCube] is ready.

You can play with four players as split-screen, so there is a possibility for the game to come out first and people will still be able to play multi-player without the online service. I'm trying very hard to talk to Nintendo so that the modem will come out the same time as the game."

Come on Nintendo! Get your act togther soon, I mean what are they going to call it? Phantasy Star Offline! The whole online thing is a big part of PSO, so to have it excluded would be a big mistake. As always, we'll keep you informed as this progresses.

Source: Computer and Video Games