PlanetSide

FOR LAND. FOR POWER. FOREVER.

Lock and load! It's time to choose your side and arm yourself for the most deadly massively multiplayer online first-person war ever! Which side are you on? - Wage war with thousands in a persistent global conflict of unprecedented scale

• Battles rage across the ten continents of Auraxis

• Align with the Vanu Sovereignty, Terran Republic or New Conglomerate

• Join forces, command troops and orchestrate large-scale tactical assaults

• Hunt down enemies with dozens of vehicles, armor and weapon configurations

• Choose from more then thirty combat specializations to suit your play style

• "Instant Action" mode is a quick and easy way to get into the thick of battle

• Basic training modules for first-time commandos

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Back of Box

The First ‘Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter’ Launches May 2003

Ubi Soft and Sony Online Entertainment announce the release of PlanetSide in May 2003 and herald the new future for online FPS gaming.

May 6th, 2003. Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world’s leading video game publishers, today announced an exclusive agreement with Sony Online Entertainment to publish the eagerly awaited PlanetSide in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Quebec and Japan. Currently in development, the game is the first massively multiplayer online FPS that allows literally thousands of gamers to play at the same time.

Its global release on PC CD-ROM is scheduled for the week debuting May 19, 2003, with the ANZ/UK release date scheduled for May 23, 2003.

PlanetSide’s developer, Verant Interactive, has made good use of the wealth of experience it has gained from its previous title EverQuest. With over 400,000 subscribers worldwide, EverQuest is the most played online multi-player RPG in the world today. With PlanetSide, the group is therefore building up its range of online multiplayer games and also its range of games aimed at a more adult market.

“PlanetSide represents a whole new genre for massively multiplayer games.” Says Alain Corre, Ubi Soft Entertainment's managing director for Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. “It combines the best of online interaction with the thrill of first-person shooters to immerse players in a totally new universe. It is a real pleasure working with Sony Online Entertainment for this revolutionary title, which reinforces our leading position in the online gaming sector.”

PlanetSide promises to be outstanding in terms of quality. It is described as a persistent, virtual universe, represented by a planet divided into several continents. On this planet, thousands of online gamers will play the role of mercenaries from different rival corporations contesting for supremacy. Conflicts take place within a wide variety of environments, ranging from an ice desert to arid lands, where corporations assign missions to the players, with the aim of taking control of rival technology bases… by any means possible.

Each player is free to carry out missions independently or as part of a team or larger battle group. A wide selection of weapons, special equipment and military ground and air vehicles made available by their corporation will be assist them in their tasks.

Finally for an even greater level of player involvement and immersion, all players have the option of watching their character’s abilities develop as they climb the ranks in the hierarchy of their corporation… and win international recognition.

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Press Release

Alot is expected of Planetside, an exciting MMOFPS coming to us from the wildly successful Verant - responsible for Everquest, the much-hyped Star Wars Galaxies and the recently announced Everquest 2. The concept of the game is simple - throw 3,000 players onto a map around 64 square kilometers in size and let them fight, in real time, for territory, resources and personal glory. Planetside is big - very big - and in more than one sense of the word.

Not only will Planetside feature cutting edge visuals, but the persistent world and the allocation of experience points for completing missions will encourage both experienced and inexperienced players alike to work as a team. The MMOFPS environment will bring together up to 3,000 players, giving us the very exciting possibility of vast battles with hundreds upon hundreds of participants.

Planetside will include drivable vehicles, with positions for drivers, gunners and navigators in most to make travel across the huge maps much quicker than walking. Gamers will be encouraged to work as a team and build up their character's expertise in various fields - making teamwork not only rewarding but necessary, as it will not be possible to become an expert in all skills. Planetside already has raised more than a few eyebrows with its amazing visuals - look for it sometime next year.

FAST FACTS
Fact: Servers are planned in Australasia for Planetside, eliminating any ping issues that threaten to hamper the game locally.

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2002 PCPowerPlay Guide (UbiSoft)