The next evolution of Battle Royale will commence on January 29th, 2019. Daybreak Games announced that Planetside Arena will arrive on Steam for PC, featuring all new game modes and maps based on the Planetside IP.
The game will feature various Battle Royale modes, including the ability to play solo and survive against other players alone, or team up with a group and attempt to survive in the 1,000 player mode. Yes, Daybreak Games is evolving Battle Royale by stepping up the scope to include 1,000 players.
How insane is that?
While a bunch of other Battle Royale clones are settling into 100 player bouts (or in awful cases like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, only 18 players per map), Daybreak is actually trying to push the industry forward, and the new 1,000 player Battle Royale modes, along with the 500 vs 500 elimination modes will be cool to see play out. There’s a trailer that gives you a glimpse of what you can expect from the upcoming game.
As showcased in the trailer, there are three different classes, including the Engineer, the Medic, and the Assault class.
As explained in the press release, each character class has its own abilities, weapons, and personal vehicle, so getting around the map shouldn’t be a problem.
You’ll also be able to participate in brand new modes, such as Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, and Global Conquest.
Now if you’re worried about Planetside 2 being abandoned, don’t be. According to a post on the official Planetside 2 website, producer Nick Silva acknowledged that Daybreak Games will continue to support Planetside 2.
Silva stated that the Forgelight engine for Planetside Arena will be backwards compatible with Planetside 2, so there’s going to be a lot of shared technology making its way back into the team-based shooter, with Silva writing…
“The main difference going forward is that the PlanetSide Arena team is also using our Forgelight engine, which means the work they do, and the improvements and upgrades they make, can also come over to PlanetSide 2. For example, the port to the DirectX 11 renderer is going to be a huge improvement, which is already priming PlanetSide 2 for better, more beautiful future.”
The reaction to the news of Planetside Arena has been somewhat mixed by some gamers. A few are reluctant of yet another Battle Royale title, while some gamers are excited for the new entry, and a few more were hoping for a Planetside 3 announcement.
Nevertheless, you’ll be able to check out Planetside Arena‘s first season Battle Pass for $19.99, which also comes with an Assault Armor set, or you can get the Legendary Edition for $39.99, which comes with the first season Battle Pass and three sets of armor for each class, and an M-20 Tempest hoverbike.
Pre-orders will also grant you access to the game’s closed beta tests. Additionally, the most hardcore and fervent of Planetside 2 players will be contacted by Daybreak Games for early access to the closed beta as well. The first season will get underway on January 29th, 2019 for PC.
(Thanks for the news tip Tenebrae)
