Daybreak to shut down PlanetSide Arena servers but insists it remains "deeply committed to this franchise"
"Thank you again for your loyalty and support."
Daybreak Games has confirmed it's switching off PlanetSide Arena's servers at 5pm PT on 10th January, 2020 (that's 1am on the 11th January UK time), just three months after it launched in early access.
As spotted by Blue via our pals at VG24/7, executive producer Andy Sites said it was a "difficult decision" but while the team had "set out with an ambitious vision for a game that combined the massive-scale combat and camaraderie of PlanetSide through a diverse collection of new game modes", it became clear in early access that population levels "make it impossible to sustain the gameplay experience we envisioned".
The team says it is "actively working with Steam" to ensure that all players who made purchases during its early access release will automatically receive a full refund to their steam wallets.
"After careful consideration, we've made the difficult decision to shut down PlanetSide Arena servers," Sites' statement began. "While our team set out with an ambitious vision for a game that combined the massive-scale combat and camaraderie of PlanetSide through a diverse collection of new game modes, it has become clear after several months in Early Access that our population levels make it impossible to sustain the gameplay experience we envisioned.
"As a result, PlanetSide Arena will formally shut down servers on January 10th, 2020 at 5:00 PM (PST). We are actively working with Steam to ensure that all players who made purchases during Early Access will automatically receive a full refund to their Steam Wallet after servers shut down in January."
Interestingly, Sites was clear to assure fans that whilst Arena was going offline, the developer remained "deeply committed" to the franchise.
"Thank you again for your loyalty and support during Beta and Early Access," Sites concluded. "Your feedback was invaluable, and your enduring passion for PlanetSide remains the bedrock our community is built upon. As painful as it is to close this chapter so quickly, we remain deeply committed to this franchise and look forward to continuing this journey through the PlanetSide Universe with all of you."
PlanetSide Arena hit Steam early access on PC back in September and had a multiplatform launch set for the second quarter of 2020.
