Didn’t I just mention the possibility of a late Friday press release from Daybreak in my predictions post? Well, here it is, though it doesn’t have any impact on my scoring because I had already heavily discounted PlanetSide Arena.
Even as the company was celebrating the 7th anniversary of PlanetSide 2 last month, things looked grim for the only “new” game from Daybreak, the battle royale title set in the PlanetSide franchise. The bubble finally burst Friday afternoon with this announcement from the development team, which popped up on Twitter at 3pm Pacific time..
Hello Everyone,
After careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to shut down PlanetSide Arena servers.
While our team set out with an ambitious vision for a game that combined the massive-scale combat and camaraderie of PlanetSide through a diverse collection of new game modes, it has become clear after several months in Early Access that our population levels make it impossible to sustain the gameplay experience we envisioned.
As a result, PlanetSide Arena will formally shut down servers on January 10th, 2020 at 5:00 PM (PST). We are actively working with Steam to ensure that all players who made purchases during Early Access will automatically receive a full refund to their Steam Wallet after servers shut down in January.
Thank you again for your loyalty and support during Beta and Early Access. Your feedback was invaluable, and your enduring passion for PlanetSide remains the bedrock our community is built upon. As painful as it is to close this chapter so quickly, we remain deeply committed to this franchise, and look forward to continuing this journey through the PlanetSide Universe with all of you.
Andy Sites
Executive Producer, PlanetSide Franchise—-
F.A.Q.
How long can I continue to play PlanetSide Arena?
PlanetSide Arena will remain available for play until Friday, January 10, 2020 at 5:00 PM PST, after which point all game servers will be shut down.
Can I still purchase DLC (Legendary or Recruit Edition) or Virtual Currency (Battle Coins) from the Steam store page?
No, as of today we have removed all DLC and hard currency purchase options from Steam. You can still use any virtual currency you have in your account (Battle Coins and Certs you earned through gameplay) until servers shut down on January 10, 2020.
How do I find out if I’m eligible for a Steam refund?
All players who made in-game purchases of DLC or virtual currency will automatically receive a refund to their Steam wallet shortly after servers shut down on January 10, 2020. You will retain access to the items you previously purchased until that date. For more details regarding Steam refund eligibility, please visit this link.
I have a further concern and want to contact Customer Service. How do I do that?
Our Customer Service is available to address all your questions and concerns. Please contact help.daybreakgames.com for all matters pertaining to all of our games, including PlanetSide Arena.
Will I still be able to play PlanetSide Arena in any fashion after the servers go offline?
No, once servers go offline on January 10, 2020, PlanetSide Arena will not be playable in any way.
And so it goes. The title, announced almost exactly a year ago, delayed in launch, and rather soundly rejected by the PlanetSide community when it finally hit early access in September, will be shutting down for good in the new year. All money spent on the game will be refunded, which may earn the company a little goodwill.
There is no word on what impact this might have on the PlanetSide 3 plans at Daybreak, though the layoffs that hit the company this fall were reported to have targeted the PlanetSide team. The company had announced back in October that PlanetSide Arena was a stepping stone project towards a that goal.
The game history as I recorded it here:
- PlanetSide Arena (game announced) – Dec 14, 2018
- PlanetSide Arena Launch Pushed Back to March – Jan 27, 2019
- PlanetSide Arena Delayed Until Summer for a Simultaneous PS4 Launch – Feb 18, 2019
- PlanetSide Arena Resurfaces with a Plan for a Q2 2020 Release – Aug 30, 2019
-
PlanetSide Arena Arrives at Early Access – Sep 19, 2019
Other coverage:
No comments:
Post a Comment