Currently in development, the game is the first massively multi-player FPS. Its release on PC is scheduled for the second quarter of 2002.
There may already be other multi-player adventure games, role playing games or even strategy games, but PlanetSide is the first shooting game to use this principle.
PlanetSide’s developer, Verant Interactive, has made good use of all the experience it gained from its previous title EverQuest. If we take the fact that with 360,000 subscribers, EverQuest is today the most played online multi-player RPG in the world, then PlanetSide promises to be outstanding in terms of quality. Ubi Soft, who already publish EverQuest will also publish Sovereign, an online multi-player game of strategy from Verant Interactive. With PlanetSide the group is therefore building up its range of online multi-player games and also its range of games aimed at a more adult market.
The action of the game takes place in a persistent universe represented by a planet divided into several continents. The wide variety of settings range from an ice desert to arid lands. In this universe, each player takes the form of a mercenary, selected before play from amongst different rival corporations. Their corporations then assign missions to the players, with the aim of taking control of rival technology bases.
There are several interests to the game. First of all each player is free to carry out their mission in a group or independently. Secondly, each mercenary has a very wide choice of options: each corporation has weapons, special equipment and unusual vehicles. Finally for even greater realism, each player has the option of watching their character’s abilities develop as they climb the ranks in the hierarchy of their corporation…and win international recognition.