Delays are in the past: “Massive” battle royale PlanetSide Arena is officially hitting early access today, rolling into what Daybreak is calling the “first phase” of its test. As we’ve been covering for most of 2019, PSA was originally announced last year for a January early access this year, but it was delayed twice with refunds, followed by radio silence for six months before the company resurfaced in August with the new early access announcement. Full launch is expected in Q2 of next year.
“Our initial launch in Early Access will feature the new Squads mode (12 soldiers per Squad) and Teams mode (3 solders per Team) in epic 300-player matches,” Daybreak has previously noted. “Three initial character classes (Assault, Engineer, and Medic) and an expansive motor pool including tanks, hovercraft, and jetpacks offer players a variety of strategies and playstyles to choose from in every match, with freer movement mechanics and more explosive combat options than ever before. The new personal loadout system, a visual overhaul for the game, and character mods that add utility to your weapons and battle suits are just a few of the additional new features we’ve worked to implement since our first beta sessions.”
The MMORPG studio’s also promised to add “additional modes, vehicles, weapons, classes, events, and maps” while the game’s in early access, including the bit that makes this a “massive” battle royale: Massive Clash, described as “an intense base vs base conflict that supports up to 1,000 players.”