Planetside 2 takes on competitive gaming with MLG partnership

A new partnership between Sony Online Entertainment and Major League Gaming has been formed to bring PlanetSide 2 into the world of eSports and competitive gaming.

Over the next few months, the PlanetSide 2 and MLG teams will work closely together to develop ideal competitive gameplay features and settings to showcase an eSports feel within the game. Such features have not yet been specified, but will be in line with other current popular PC competitive gaming titles.

In November after PlanetSide 2's release, creative director Matthew Higby said to Polygon that he believed PS2 already had two of the three elements to be a viable game in eSports: a high skill ceiling, and gameplay that’s interesting to watch. Tournament modes and other in-game features are the third element. Higby also noted that while the community is interested in eSports, players are concerned this will take away from the open experience they’re used to.

The year-long collaboration will see online tournaments hosted on MLG's tournament platform GameBattles, and livestreaming content produced through MLG's Twitch.tv channel. PlanetSide 2 gaming stations will be featured at MLG's first event in 2013, March 15-17 at the Winter Championships in Dallas, Texas.

"PlanetSide 2 players are extremely loyal to their chosen Empires and when it comes to battling, they are beyond competitive and truly enjoy the in-game rivalries so it was the natural next step for us to bring PlanetSide 2 to the most competitive eSports organization," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "We're excited for this opportunity to work with MLG and are confident that their competitive gaming expertise can turn PlanetSide 2 into a premier eSports platform, allowing us to extend the game experience and deliver new ways for players to interact with other players and the broader community, while helping to further diversify and grow our audience."

"From the first time I played PlanetSide 2, I knew that it made sense for the MLG community," said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO and co-founder of Major League Gaming. "I am excited to introduce the game to our audience and to see how it evolves along with the growing and evolving eSports landscape."

For more PlanetSide 2 information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.