The PlanetSide franchise is getting a new entry early next year with Daybreak Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) announcing PlanetSide Arena today. Sticking to the series staple of massive player numbers in single servers, Arena will put up to 500-players together in various modes including - to no one's surprise - battle royale.
At launch, the title will include Massive Clash, a 250 vs 250 player mode, as well as solo and group battle royale modes. This player limit of Massive Clash could increase to over 1000 according to the studio. It also plans to add traditional competitive modes like "Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, and Global Conquest" later down the line.
Classes also make a return, with Assault, Engineer, and Medic options available for all players before dropping into a round. All of these classes come with their own jetpacks, a vehicle, and abilities to help them in battle, which can also be upgraded throughout a round.
To PlanetSide 2 players that may be worried the new game will take development time from their MMOFPS, Daybreak was quick to say that it "remains fully committed to providing active development support for PlanetSide 2," making note of the new continent that's arriving for the game next year.
PlanetSide Arena will launch on January 29, 2019 as a Steam exclusive without any early access periods, and it is also not free-to-play. There are two packs for pre-purchase right now, coming in at $19.99 and $39.99 each, with various bonuses and access to an upcoming closed beta. A full FAQ regarding the game can be found here.
Daybreak added that "loyal and active PlanetSide 2 players" will also gain access to the beta without needing to purchase anything.
