PlanetSide Arena delayed again, this time to summer

PlanetSide Arena is delayed again. Originally due on Windows PC on March 26, developer Daybreak Game Company has pushed that back to the summer, refunded all PC pre-orders, and canceled the battle royale’s initial “Founders Season.”

Daybreak made the announcement late Friday, couching the second delay as a simultaneous release with the PlayStation 4 version planned for the summer. Otherwise, developers need more time to deliver their vision of “fast-paced, combined arms combat and massive-scale multiplayer modes.

“We believe that delivering the most polished version of PlanetSide Arena that meets these expectations, on both platforms, outweighs any other consideration,” the company said in a statement.

Daybreak gave no specific date other than the summertime window. Pre-orders had been sold on Steam for $19.98 and $39.97.

Daybreak announced PlanetSide Arena at the end of 2018 and originally planned for a Jan. 29 launch on Steam. But Daybreak announced on Jan. 25 that PlanetSide Arena delayed to March because the game still needed work on “crucial feature enhancements and core systems improvements.”

Left unsaid Friday, but potentially relevant since, is the surprise launch and strong success of Apex Legends on Feb. 4. While Daybreak maintains PlanetSide Arena will have multiplayer game types other than a battle royale, Apex Legends makes it even harder to break from the field of multiplayer shooter — something that has troubled Daybreak’s other battle royale, H1Z1.

PlanetSide Arena is envisioned as a class-based shooter featuring a huge 250-vs-250 team deathmatch and two battle royale types at launch, bringing along more traditional multiplayer playlists later. The fighters in PlanetSide Arena have three special, upgradeable perks and unlock better weapons with their in-match performance.

Daybreak Game Company said PlanetSide Arena will “continue to expand the Beta testing program” but did not share dates or access details at this time.