UK Gamer Magazine April: Planetside +9 months away

[headcrab13]

If the awesome alpha footage we've seen so far is any indication, I could hypothetically see the beta beginning within 4-6 months. A little more time for the other continents to be designed, MAXes and female models to be added, and swap out the placeholder graphics and sound effects from the previous gameplay, and they'll be ready for testers to start bug-hunting.

I think 9 months to release sounds too optimistic, but it's always possible. Personally, I'm hopeful for a Q2 2013 release date.

[Tasorin]

Originally Posted by Skitrel

Launch, not beta. And that makes complete sense as a potential launch date. They don't want to compete with other titles for gamer's attention. Fall is the massive release season.

By launching in the first quarter as opposed to the fourth they hit the quiet period where there's less competition for attention. Now, usually this means fewer sales because the most money gets spent in the 4th quarter but not so with a game like Planetside, it's F2P, so they gain a significant advantage. There's absolutely no reason for them to stand toe to toe during a sales season, so a first or (more likely pushed back) second quarter release is a smart move.

Don't forget to factor in Station Cash gift cards given in 4Q12 and spent in 1Q13. This also would let PS2 avoid the probable Guild Wars 2 crush in November of 2012 in 4Q12. I personally don't mind if live launch is 9+ months off because there are no units to press, package and distribute in a F2P model. Like Higgles has said a couple of times, one of the benefits of a F2P model is the ability to flip the switch from open beta to live launch with the most current build almost overnight.