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PlanetSide 2 Started Development As Free-To-Play
Sony Online's upcoming sequel to its long in the tooth MMO shooter began life as a mere graphical upgrade to accompany the game's planned switch to a free-to-play model. Why the change of heart? The project formerly known as PlanetSide Next was just too darn promising.
Speaking with PC Gamer at SOE's recent FanFaire, company president John Smedley revealed that the team got too excited when they started working on the game in earnest, and the only thing to do to accommodate the awesome ideas they had was to build a whole new graphics engine and make the project a full-on sequel instead of a simple update.
Sony Online has yet to confirm what PlanetSide 2's business model will be; the official FAQ simply states that there will be more information forthcoming. My money is on some flavor of free-to-play since that's the way everything is going, but that's pure conjecture on my part.
We can forgive Smedley his enthusiasm for his company's own products, especially when PlanetSide 2 looks as promising as it does. I'm a little more willing to give SOE the benefit of the doubt after DC Universe Online turned out to be decent against all expectations – but then again, I'm not holding onto any grudges from Star Wars Galaxies, either.
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