PlanetSide Announced

Sony Online Entertainment has announced its upcoming massively multiplayer first-person shooter PlanetSide. The game is in development at Verant, the studio responsible for the popular online role-playing game EverQuest. Players assume the role of mercenaries in a distant galaxy and can advance through one of four different corporations. Characters gain skill by capturing enemy bases in both vehicle-based and soldier-to-soldier combat, working either as part of a team or as an independent entity. The Planetside environment is divided into various continents, each with 64 square kilometers of area, and the terrain ranges from the frozen arctic to the arid desert.

PlanetSide is scheduled for release in Q3 2001. We'll have more information on the game soon.