Dear Auraxians,
We are excited to announce that our team at Toadman Interactive is taking over development duties for PlanetSide 2. Our colleagues at Rogue Planet Games have created a unique gaming experience that has thrived for over a decade. We have assembled a team of developers who have many years of experience working on Massively Multiplayer Online games and First Person Shooters. Although we are not the purchaser of the franchise, the team is delighted to carry the PlanetSide 2 torch forward. Additionally, we will continue working with the Daybreak Games publishing team to ensure the game continues to receive best-in-class marketing and community support.
Our vision for PlanetSide 2 is to highlight unique aspects that have given it such a storied place in gaming history while improving the general game experience. To that end we’ve laid out three major principles to guide us moving forward along with our 2024 roadmap following below:
- A renewed focus on the elements that make PlanetSide 2 great, rebalancing mechanics and content while addressing the current pain points that get in the way
- Create more objective-based player goals within the core gameplay loop to
- capitalize better on the breadth of PlanetSide 2’s potential
- Infuse each major update with more theme, lore, and world building to give more
- structure and context to the world we all inhabit
2024 Roadmap
Q1
If you look back on Q1, you can see that we put quite a bit of effort into fixing bugs that were major causes of pain points for everyone. We're not at the end of the road just yet, and we are dedicated to identifying and squashing more.
The tradition of developer letters that started at the end of last year will continue. We want to be as transparent as possible and also share some insights with our community on how we create assets and develop features for PlanetSide 2. In addition, we reworked Capture the Conduit and created several beautiful bundles celebrating Auraximas, Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, and St Patrick's Day.
You may have noticed that the reward structure for the Seasonal Directives is much more rewarding. Below is an example of how we want to continue with directive rewards:
Q2
We have exciting content waiting for you in Q2, which we are working on right now. We’re starting with the Puzzler Bundle on April Fools' Day, in which you will find a handful of Puzzler themed cosmetics, all for only 10 certs.
New color variants for the NS-44 “Primed Amethyst” Commissioner that were featured in the 11th Anniversary Bundle are entering the Depot as well as a new base/facility capture method (more details to follow).
Q2 also includes the PlanetSide Franchise Anniversary and other equally exciting holidays such as: Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day and Father's Day.
Q3
Q3 is going to be hot with the return of two summer directive events with great rewards. We are also very excited to release the updated Sunderer, although it may happen sooner if we manage to overcome some technical limitations. Additionally, we will have another new game mode, which some of our colleagues have already started working on, and we will also celebrate holidays such as Independence Day and Labor Day in a big way.
Q4
The most anticipated PlanetSide 2 updates will arrive at the end of the year. We do not want to reveal all the cards just yet, but at the same time we want to share some of the novelties that are waiting for you closer to the end of the year. We will start with the traditional Halloween celebration, for which we are preparing an intimidating event, and right after that we will release the Anniversary Update. There, we will introduce a completely new theme, which will include a new vehicle type, armor sets, helmets, weapons, and cosmetics.
We cannot wait to show you a behind the scenes look at our upcoming new art assets, story elements, and the technical workings of creating a new type of transportation in PlanetSide 2. Expect more Auraximas events, a bundle with winter weapons, sales, and holiday decorations.
Concluding Thoughts
Naturally, to accomplish our goals for the year, there will be a learning curve involved, not only for technical reasons, but also because PlanetSide 2 is a large and venerable game with many gameplay niches and a deeply passionate community. This transition has been under way for several months and is largely the reason updates have been smaller and slower lately than what the community is used to seeing.
As we become more proficient and knowledgeable, the scope and pace of updates will speed up and our ability to take risks will grow. Becoming experts in the full scope of such a massive enterprise will take time, and mistakes will be made. However, we promise to listen closely and carefully to your feedback so we may learn and grow as quickly as possible.
- Toadman Interactive, PlanetSide 2 Team