By Jim Rossignol on December 9th, 2010 at 6:43 pm.
Over on The Escapist we get some hints from SOE’s John Smedley about the next PlanetSide game:
“We have a very big launch coming in the month of March,” Smedley said. “It’s a big first person shooter franchise that we’re really happy with.” I took a leap of logic and asked whether it was Planetside. “Could be,” Smedley said sheepishly. “We haven’t technically announced it.”
We have also received a number of anonymous hints about this being in development, something which seems to corroborate both what we speculated about last year, and what we heard about the mysterious “PlanetSide Next“. Imagine if we got PlanetSide 2 next March! Blimey.
09/12/2010 at 18:46 DrGonzo says:
Isn’t it more likely it will be a relaunch and Planetside going free to play? Though I would be excited about that too.
Oh why isn’t the new Warhammer 40k MMO like this? It would suit it a lot more. Your a soldier and there is ONLY WAR.
09/12/2010 at 18:49 Jim Rossignol says:
Yeah, it could be the f2p launch, but I’ve heard enough on the grapevine to suspect it might be a little more than *just* that.
09/12/2010 at 18:53 Flameberge says:
I’ve often thought that, it would just work so well, as you gain experience you’re able to get access to more equipment, vehicles etc. Even Dreadnoughts would make sense: You die enough times, and you’re given access to one for a few respawns as a kind of gameplay / lore related fudge to allow them to be used by players without completely ignoring the lore behind them.
Or, after a certain number of deaths, you can be transferred to one, but from that poitn on you have to be one.
*sigh* A 40k Planetside-style game would be the best thing ever.
09/12/2010 at 18:59 The Pink Ninja says:
I second this motion, though I wonder how would it work given the very different battle styles of the factions (Beyond a game of Space Marines versus Chaos Space Marines).
09/12/2010 at 19:02 DrGonzo says:
That could be a problem. The majority of players would probably want to pick the Space Marines, yet they are meant to be heavily outnumbered. I can only think that Imperials, Orks and Tyranids would possibly have to have characters who had a squad of npcs under their command.
Although I would probably leave the Tyranids as unplayable and use them to balance up the maps if things were going too far one way.
09/12/2010 at 19:33 Fenris says:
Obviously you would just make Tyranids free-to-play in Asia.
09/12/2010 at 23:07 The Great Wayne says:
Hmmm, but they said FPS, not MMOFPS.
Without the MMO part, Planetside wouldn’t be Planetside. Therefore I’ll wait some more to let the tears of joy roll on my cheeks.
09/12/2010 at 18:49 Flameberge says:
please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god please god
09/12/2010 at 18:50 Flameberge says:
Sorry, nergasm finished.
Planetside remains my best online experience by a mile. I met so many of my online friends playing that game, most of whom I am still in contact with.
09/12/2010 at 18:53 pissant says:
hahaha people are getting their hopes up about an SoE game oh dear haahaha
basically the MMOG genre jumped ten sharks and turned in back in 2008 with WAR as far as I’m concerned. 40k online is going to be WoW with space marines. SoE will find some way to fuck this up.
09/12/2010 at 18:57 TimA says:
I agree. To date the most fun MMO I have ever played.
I’m ridiculously excited now. OH PLEASE LET IT BE GOOD PLEASE
09/12/2010 at 19:41 Jsnuk says:
SOE make very good MMOs they just have a tendancy to fuck them up sometime post launch, GODDAMIT I WANT MY SWG BACK.
09/12/2010 at 23:43 DSVella says:
please don’t mention SWG snuck. Those wounds go deep.
10/12/2010 at 00:01 Jsnuk says:
Deeper than Khazad-dûm :(
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09/12/2010 at 18:50 westyfield says:
Come on, come on!
09/12/2010 at 18:55 State says:
Oh god yes please!
09/12/2010 at 18:57 duncanthrax says:
I really hope they revive Planetside. Was a great game, but poorly managed and marketed.
09/12/2010 at 19:00 duncanthrax says:
I really hope that they revive Planetside. Great game, but poorly managed and marketed.
09/12/2010 at 19:05 Jim Reaper says:
I really do hope they revive Planetside. Great game, but poorly marketed and managed.
09/12/2010 at 20:20 duncanthrax says:
You better believe it!
09/12/2010 at 19:05 clownst0pper says:
What would make planetside different now to say Bad Company 2? (excuse my ignorance ive never played Planetside…)
09/12/2010 at 19:11 DrGonzo says:
It’s on a far bigger scale. You can capture points and territory that are meant to mean something. Though you make a good point, without knowing it possibly. The big problem I had with Planetside is it’s meant to be a persistent world, your actions are meant to matter. But they really don’t. You spend an entire evening capturing some territory, come back the next evening and everything has completely changed and you didn’t really feel your actions had much consequence. Still great fun though.
09/12/2010 at 19:14 froibo says:
Imagine hundreds of soldiers dropping out of player piloted airplanes while dozens of mech walkers siege a control point
09/12/2010 at 19:19 Wubble69 says:
In Planetside, when you log on and you have a top grade Commander who has earned his command points, telling you to go over there and do this and that … you do it … willingly.
I’ve never played this Bad Company thing but even it’s name sounds shit house.
Planetside was genuinely 10 years too early.
09/12/2010 at 19:21 clownst0pper says:
Like Bad Company 2 Froibo just with more people?;)
09/12/2010 at 19:55 Napalm Sushi says:
The entire playerbase is split between just a handful of servers. On each of those servers is a world split into several continents, which are linked by warp gates. On each of those continents (not really continent sized, but each at least comparable to one of the islands from Operation Flashpoint) three factions, each fielding hundreds of players, fight to wrestle military installations and control points from one another. Not all of the continents will be host to the fighting at once, as it’s actually possible for one faction to push the others back through the warp gates and “lock down” the continent, removing it from play and colouring it in that faction’s livery until the others manage to forge a route back to it again. The goal of each faction is simply to control as much of the planet as possible for as long as possible in the eternal struggle.
So no, it’s not really like Bad Company 2 with more people, and the fact that no developer has dared attempt anything like it since makes me cry for the state of this industry.
09/12/2010 at 19:57 Lilliput King says:
With much more people and much, much, much larger maps.
09/12/2010 at 20:29 clownst0pper says:
Napalm, are there resources involved? More territory = more faction credits = better gear for the factions?
09/12/2010 at 20:48 Napalm Sushi says:
At the overall world level, the total territory controlled simply determines who is winning, score-wise (as far as I’m aware; it’s been a while). But at the continent level, yes, different installations provide different benefits such as reducing respawn times, extending radar range and granting access to different vehicles.
09/12/2010 at 19:10 Ubernutz says:
Sticky keys turned on.
09/12/2010 at 19:14 Amn says:
Never played Planetside so this would be awesome after hearing of the massive scale battles.
09/12/2010 at 19:15 Wubble69 says:
My first MMO Love and the ONLY PVP game I will stomach and the ONLY game that stands a chance of taking me away from WoW.
I.S.K. Aight!
VANU FTW!
09/12/2010 at 19:18 Huw says:
This is excellent news. I loved the idea of Planetside but for one reason or another I didn’t get to play while it was popular. I won’t make the same mistake again.
09/12/2010 at 22:31 FRIENDLYUNIT says:
Oh god. Yes. I’m so close to being done with FPS games forever.
All it has to do it not be very shit and it will have a piece of my wallet forever.
09/12/2010 at 19:23 Torgen says:
I was briefly in the beta, but couldn’t afford the sub. Much like WWII Online, anyone that plays alone is probably going to think the game is meh. But if you play in a squad/clan, either game is some of the more memorable events in gaming.
09/12/2010 at 19:24 Darthey says:
Released in March? Come on guys, you don’t go from initial-concepts to finished-MMO in a year.
March will bring the official announcement that its in-development, a website, and maybe if we’re lucky an early trailer and closed-beta signups.
09/12/2010 at 23:31 Gaff says:
The quote specifically says “launch” and not “reveal.”
Don’t forget that the core assets of PlanetSide already exist. The factions, the vehicles, the core concepts of the game are already there, they just need to be tweaked and updated for newer technology.
So far they have been working on PlanetSide Next for approximately two years (the end of 2008 was when they first send out the survey email to many former subscribers asking for their input on a sequel to the original).
Another point to consider is that GDC runs 28th February – 4th March 2011 and is the first big games show of the year, usually very well attended by the major players. Maybe that is the stage they will use to debut the game at?
I actually emailed John Smedley about a month ago asking for more information about PN and he replied simply “it’s coming soon.” Maybe he actually meant soon?
Stranger things have happened!
10/12/2010 at 09:48 Inverness says:
Gaff is right here. If they’re already launching the sequel so soon then that is good news in my opinion. Basically, I think PlanetSide was a great game as it was, with only a few problems such as the infamous BFRs. I don’t want them to remake everything. I just want them to update the engine and assets, remove the unnecessary extra fluff, and basically re-balance and fine-tune the whole game. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
09/12/2010 at 19:28 kutkh says:
Pleasebetrue vs. Don’tbeshit in the capture point of my heart.
09/12/2010 at 19:52 escooler says:
For me a galaxy drop with another 15 soldiers (sometime multipul ships) onto a enemy bases/backdoors is one of the most thrilling game experiences i have ever had.
10/12/2010 at 00:55 Poet says:
Until I set off my 20 boomers you guys completely ignored on the way in killing everyone instantly.
09/12/2010 at 20:11 Sobric says:
pleaseohgodbeplanetsidepleaseohgoddon’tbeshit
09/12/2010 at 20:14 MrWolf says:
Everytime I see “Planetside” I think it’s the wonderful Infocom classic “Planetfall” and I get very, very nostalgic and misty-eyed about my first and best digital friend, Floyd.
09/12/2010 at 20:21 Rocktart says:
Excitement & nostalgia vs cynicism and disappointment
Which will win?
09/12/2010 at 20:54 Oxide says:
I hope they will keep the resource mechanics, driving an ANT with tanks and Reavers covering my flank was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in games. Then again just seeing the SOE logo makes me angry…
14/12/2010 at 17:55 Dr Chi says:
I liked it a lot better before they introduced the resource management of the bases. Constantly having to send ANTs out to refuel bases, etc. But ultimately it was the Underground expansion and Mechs that did it in for me and I lost interest because of that.
However, Planetside was by far my most favorite MMO experience, with EVE coming in second.
09/12/2010 at 21:45 Chaosgabe says:
This was the bloody best game ever. I just hope SOE doesnt fuck it up too fast. Problem is they hate games, as you probably know:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/3/1/
09/12/2010 at 21:48 Chaosgabe says:
*Hates gamers
09/12/2010 at 23:12 Vindicore says:
PS2 could be fantastic; no other MMO or FPS comes close.
Forget gear, forget stats and forget grinding.
COD you just need skill to play while in BF you also need tactics. While in PS you need strategy, tactics and skill to succeed.
There is NOTHING like the feeling you get when you are part of a battle with hundreds of troops on either side, knowing that your actions can lead to victory if you pick the right strategy.
09/12/2010 at 23:16 Tei says:
This is exciting news, Planetside is the very high bar all other MMOFPS get compared, and very few (none?) is even near to compare to it. It would love to see something done to give it more life.
09/12/2010 at 23:20 Gaff says:
Well this is freaky, I just posted a blog entry about PlanetSide Next only last night:
http://thegaffadin.blogspot.com/2010/12/clash-of-titans-again.html
I wouldn’t ordinarily promote my own stuff here but it’s eerily directly connected.
10/12/2010 at 00:37 Davee says:
Great Scott!
While I think it’s unlikely the next PlanetSide that gets launched, it could be the free to play version or – probably something entirely different…
If they make a second PlanetSide, they sure need to be careful not to mess it up.
But I’m not getting my hopes up too much.
10/12/2010 at 00:46 Sigma Draconis says:
So what would be done with the original PlanetSide if this sequel were released? Perhaps SOE would make it free to play (LOLNO) so people could get an basic idea of the gameplay, what to expect from an upcoming installment, and possibly grab new subscribers for PlanetSide 2?
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10/12/2010 at 03:30 MrSpandex says:
I don’t know if I’m ready to quit my job in March :(
10/12/2010 at 07:36 bill says:
As someone who is put off by monthly subscriptions and has a slight underpowered pc, i’d be much happier with a free-2-play version of the old planetside than a sequel which i wouldn’t pay for and couldn’t run.
Though no reason not to get both. It’s almost christmas!
10/12/2010 at 08:16 Dave says:
Could it be?
10/12/2010 at 09:58 Inverness says:
By the way, I don’t get the feeling that a free to play game would be very good. Because in a game like PlanetSide, being able to buy anything that would affect gameplay would be an issue with a lot of people I think. If it doesn’t affect gameplay, I wouldn’t see any reason to buy it either.
10/12/2010 at 14:10 jon_hill987 says:
Yeah, but there are plenty of people who do want to buy things that have no effect on gameplay. Look at the idiots that are paying to have Valve ruin TF2…
10/12/2010 at 10:32 Obliter8 says:
This game is the closest thing to PvP perfection ever created. The weight of expectation is vast…
My outfit is still here, ready to spank some fish-heads :o)
10/12/2010 at 11:23 Ovno says:
PLANETSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10/12/2010 at 12:36 mavvvy says:
If only I had the resources to express the joy that has welled up in my heart via jazz-backed poetry.
10/12/2010 at 16:38 DrNickRiviera says:
As long as SOE remember to put in some anti hack software then maybe there’s some hope for PSNext. The rampant hacking in the game was what killed it for a lot of players back in 2007 /08. It would be a shame to see the same problem spread to the sequel.
11/12/2010 at 02:59 Lost says:
I think what will happen (if they release planetside next) is that it will absorb the old Planetside. Atleast I think that is what Smedley is hinting at with the naming policy with its MMO’s.
11/12/2010 at 05:28 Michael says:
If Planetside went free to play, I would suddenly lose all of my free time.
13/12/2010 at 01:17 Surgeon says:
PlanetSide is without doubt my favourite game of all time.
Back in the day, although games were growing more complex, I’d play things like X-Wing, and lament the lack of scale to some of the battles.
Yes, you’d be fighting against waves and waves of enemies at times, but never alongside an equal number of friendlies in gigantic battles.
And then along comes PS and everything I’d ever hoped for in terms of twitch gameplay and scale was answered.
And even better, against humans.
It’s unequivocally the best game I’ve ever played.
The only thing that caused it to lose its shine over the years for me was the dwindling player base.
I didn’t mind BFR’s or The Bending (snigger), or all the buffs and nerfs, but once the Sanctuary started to resemble a ghost town, and 5 Galaxy convoys of Hot Drops were just a distant memory, that’s when it started to turn stale.
Re-subbing was always fun for a while, but left a sour taste compared to the assaults of old.
Since then, every new online component of the latest FPS just disappoints with its lack of ambition. The Battlefield series is the only thing that comes close to sating the habit.
I’ve been clamouring for some news since the survey came out in 2009, but a March 2011 release sounds too good to be true.
I’m actually hoping it will be announced in March, but will still be a few years off.
13/12/2010 at 00:55 Surgeon says:
fork off!