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Planetside 2 – Coming on November 20th

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Sony Online Entertainment announced last night at its annual SOE Live fan event that the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) PlanetSide 2 will launch in North America and Europe on November 20, 2012. A free-to-play title with optional content available for purchase in the marketplace, PlanetSide 2 offers an unprecedented gaming experience where players battle in massive environments alongside and against thousands of players engaging in intense air and ground combat that spans the planet of Auraxis. Players will soon be able to pledge their allegiance and enlist in one of three unique Empires – Terran Republic, New Conglomerate and Vanu Sovereignty – in the fight for global domination.
John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment said:
“PlanetSide 2 is without a doubt the next great MMOFPS and I believe it heralds the next phase and future of the gaming industry. External beta participants have experienced first-hand the sweeping implications that PlanetSide 2’s unrelenting action gameplay and large-scale mixed infantry, air, and ground vehicle combat have had on the advancement of the FPS genre. By providing an enormous magnitude of multiplayer action gameplay and features, we are fostering a community of passionate, engaged players and delivering an experience they have never before encountered, but always envisioned, in an online shooter: massive, player-driven combat warfare on unparalleled thousand player battlefields.”
SOE kicked off external beta testing for PlanetSide 2 on August 3, 2012. Since that time, PlanetSide 2 beta has seen a massive amount of participation with each beta player averaging more than two hours a day in game. Other interesting beta statistics include:
•83.8 billion points of damage done to players
•2.87 billion projectiles fired
•32 million infantry kills
•7.3 million vehicles destroyed
•1.4 million facilities captured
•16.7 million rockets launched
•4.3 million grenades thrown
•Empire allegiance breakdown (by playtime):?New Conglomerate: 35.6%
-Terran Republic: 32.8%
-Vanu Sovereignty: 31.6%
Matt Higby, Creative Director of PlanetSide 2 added:
“We are thrilled to have reached a point where we can set an official release date for PlanetSide 2. External beta has been a fantastic learning experience, one where we have been constantly iterating and incorporating player feedback, tweaking and refining features to ensure an explosive, quality game at launch. External beta has been an amazing way to directly connect with the player community on both an individual and large-scale basis and has further proven that we truly offer gameplay for every type of player. I’ve participated in battles against huge outfits that employ exhaustive base capture strategies, and I’ve marveled at the skill of some of our most adept combat pilots. It is definitely the most unique gaming experience SOE has ever created.”
PlanetSide 2 is currently in external beta and will be available as a “Free-To-Play” title on PC systems via digital download on November 20, 2012. For players who are interested in an enhanced PlanetSide 2 experience, a Premium Membership option will be available for US$14.99/month and will include scalable gains for resources, XP and passive cert points. Additionally, Premium Members will receive priority log-in queue access, early access to new cosmetic items and a monthly Station Cash bonus. Players who maintain their membership over time will accrue enhancements to their benefits, and players who purchase their membership in multi-month blocks will receive an increased benefit gain immediately.