Planetside

A few hours ago, Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley tweeted two very important links for PlanetSide fans that point readers to the new PlanetSide 2 site and Facebook page. According to the counter on the site and the welcome message on the Facebook page, we can expect to hear "classified information" regarding the game on July 7 at 7 p.m. PDT.

So what's happening at that time? That's when Smedley is giving the Community Address at Fan Faire! Looks like we'll be getting a major PlanetSide 2 announcement at the convention this week, and members of the ZAM staff (including yours truly) will be there to cover it all! Stay tuned to ZAM for PlanetSide 2 details straight from the Fan Faire floor.

PlanetSide Universe noticed that Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley recently made an interesting comment on Twitter regarding PlanetSide Next. Here it is:

"For all you Planetside Next fans stay tuned for a big announcement at our upcoming Fan Faire in Vegas!"

It's short and sweet, but it's certainly piqued our interest. We'll be keeping an eye out for this "big announcement" at Fan Faire, which is being held from July 7-9 at Bally's Las Vegas.

PlanetSide Universe has gotten an exclusive sneak peek at at a PlanetSide Next producer's letter from Executive Producer Andrew Sites. He starts things off by mentioning his work on EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures before diving into some PlanetSide news:

"With Planetside now approaching its 8 year anniversary, it’s still easy to look back and see just how it set the bar for Massively Multiplayer FPS games. It was fun, fast-paced and most importantly, it offered truly MASSIVE FPS combat that hasn’t been recreated since. When we started designing Planetside Next, our goal was to build upon the original foundational elements that made it unique, while focusing heavily on the large-scale combat that set it apart from the competition. We’ve got some big shoes to fill, but as we begin unveiling the details, I think you’re going to be VERY excited to see what we have planned."

He goes on to mention that the team has significantly increased in size over the past several weeks. Sony Online Entertainment announced the closure of three studios and the elimination of 205 positions on March 31, as well as the death of The Agency. SOE stated at the time that the game was discontinued so the company could focus resources on the development of PlanetSide Next and EverQuest Next.

Stites promises to release more PlanetSide Next information in the coming weeks and months. Until then, check out his full letter over at PlanetSide Universe.

For the third time this month, Sony Online Entertainment has given fansite PlanetSide Universe an exclusive look at a new image from PlanetSide Next. The first two screenshots gave us a sneak peek at the Reaver and Mosquito, but the latest one actually reveals the first character model for the game! Ladies and gentlemen, meet PlanetSide Next's Terran Republic Soldier.

PlanetSide Next is the working title of the upcoming PlanetSide sequel. Smedley said last month that SOE is looking at a late first-quarter, early second-quarter 2011 release for the game.

Last week, Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley gave PlanetSide Universe an exclusive look at PlanetSide Next's Reaver. Today, SOE has given the fansite a high resolution model screenshot of the Mosquito.

In addition, PlanetSide Universe hinted that it will share another exclusive on its Auraxis Global Network live broadcast on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. EST. If you're anxiously awaiting more PlanetSide Next news, you may want to tune in on Saturday.

PlanetSide Next is the working title of the upcoming PlanetSide sequel. Smedley said last month that SOE is looking at a late first-quarter, early second-quarter 2011 release for the game.