Planetside 2 Announced As Sony’s Newest MMO

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announcedPlanetSide 2, the reimagining of the ever-popular massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS) game, PlanetSide. PlanetSide 2 takes all the groundbreaking features from the original game – massive multiplayer battles, distinctive empires to rally around, and enormous continents to support intense ground and air combat – and adds features that modern gamers have come to expect out of the FPS and MMO genres.

Across the continents of Auraxis, thousands of players will come together in enormous battles to win control of territory and resources for their empire. With an extensive skill tree and a free-form class-based system, players will be able to customize their soldier, weapons and vehicles to match their play-style, or the needs of their squad, outfit or empire. Battles can last for days or weeks, so players will need to build real alliances and combat outfits to take on long-term strategic and tactical initiatives. With air, ground and seaborne combat, the battles are more intense than ever.

“For years we’ve talked about creating another PlanetSide game, and we’re thrilled that technology has caught up with our vision,” said John Smedley, President of SOE. “I’m incredibly impressed by what our team has done with PlanetSide 2. They’ve made everything as big, bold and brutal as possible.PlanetSide 2 is truly representative of what a next generation MMOFPS will look and feel like.”

“With huge war zones populated by thousands of fighters at once, the size and intensity of PlanetSide 2are simply unequaled. Both longtime players of the series and FPS fans are going to be blown away by the massive scale of PlanetSide battles,” said Matt Higby, creative director of PlanetSide 2 at Sony Online Entertainment. “The immense scope, powerful vehicles and wealth of character customization options means players must think tactically and act as a team to conquer the battlegrounds.”

Various character, vehicle and artillery customization features will be available to players constructing the perfect fighter for their favorite of the three empires: The Terran Republic (the conservative, authoritative nation aiming to reunite the clashing factions), The New Conglomerate (a liberated faction fighting to remaining free) or The Vanu Sovereignty (technophiles seeking to develop and exploit alien technology). Also, an in-depth and adaptive class system – with ranks, unlockable traits and skill sets – will give players complete control over their online warrior.

PlanetSide 2 will harness the power of SOE’s next-generation Forgelight™ MMO engine; a true technological feat, as it is specifically created to bring all of the best in class features from the single player arena to next-gen MMOs. Forgelight equips SOE developers with the power they need to create the massive, vibrant worlds, intense combat and immersive experience emblematic of the future of online gaming.