Planetside 2

• What is Planetside 2?

Planetside 2 is a war game set in a sci-fi environment.

• What genre does the game belong to?

MMOFPS (Massively Multiplayer On-line First Person Shooter)

• Planetside 2 developer/publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
• When was it launched? 

PS4 - June 5, 2013

• How does the gameplay work?

 Players elect to join one of three factions (The Terran Republic; The Vanu Sovereignty and The New Conglomerates) all of which are fighting for territory in the online environment. 

• What are the six different player classes in the game?

1. The Infiltrator is a sniper class with special abilities of cloaking and hacking, and can use sniper rifles, scout rifles and submachine guns to deliver a devastating effect.
2. The Light Assault class is a scout who uses carbines, submachine guns and shotguns. The Light Assault's special ability is Jump Jets, which allow them to fly through the air for a short period of time.
3. The Combat Medic is a healing class. Their weapons include assault rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. The Combat Medic's special abilities allows them to heal and resurrect other players.
4. The Engineer class has the special ability of repairing vehicles, turrets, and MAX Units. The engineer also has the ability to build anti-infantry and anti-vehicle turrets. The Engineer's weapons include carbines, shotguns submachine guns and battle rifles.
5. The Heavy Assault class has light machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, batte rifles, and also Rocket Launchers, which are effective at destroying enemy vehicles. They also have the special ability of shields to help them endure heavy fire.
6. The MAX class has a mobile armoured suit that allows them to take significant damage before dying. However, due to the suit they are also the slowest class. They have access to anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, and anti-air weapons. Max units cost resources to use.

• What is the story or narrative to the game?

Planetside 2 is a science fiction massively multiplayer online first-person shooter set approximately 300 years after the discovery of Auraxis. After the Earth has nearly come to ruin following a devastating war, the world's governments came to a consensus and united under one banner: the world-wide Terran Republic (TR). Some time later a wormhole, one which scientists fail to explain, appears and then disappears without a trace. Ex-President of the Terran Republic, Tom Connery, believes that the wormhole is a sign of existing extraterrestrial life and launches several space expeditions. So exactly 175 years after Tom Connery and the other leaders of the Terran Republic were killed, the war between the Terran Republic and the New Conglomerate breaks out. Following this, the New Conglomerate attacks the scientists who were still working on the alien technology, the Vanu Sovereignty, and they are as a result drawn into the conflict with the Terran Republic.

Business model

• How much does Planetside 2 cost to play?

It's free to play but there are in-game purchases.

• What does a subscription offer to players?

Increased experience, cert points, and extra resources, which are used to acquire things such as grenades and medical kits.

• What can the in-game currency be used to buy?

Buy 'power'.

• Why do some players dislike games in which users can buy additional weapons or health?

Lack of balance across classes and high system requirements.

The three factions

• The Terran Republic:

An authoritarian government that leverages military might to maintain strict control over the colonial citizens.The Terran Republic is obsessed with the preservation of law and order through violence, and are thus seen by some to be an oppressive and dictatorial force, Their colours are red and black. TR forces are distinguished by their use of rapid fire weapons and miniguns, large magazines, and high speed medium tanks and fighters

• The Vanu Sovereignty:

The Vanu Sovereignty believes that only through the mysterious power of ancient technology can humanity truly evolve its next state of existence. They are an advanced and cunning faction, employing powerful alien technology on the battlefield. Their singular purpose is to uncover the secrets hidden away in ancient artifacts scattered over the surface of Auraxis, and they annihilate anyone who interferes with their progress. Their colours are purple and cyan. Vanu employ advanced plasma and laser technology on the battlefield, distinguished by lack of bullet drop, high accuracy, and low recoil, as well as highly maneuverable hovering tanks and Empire Specific Fighters such as the Scythe

• The New Conglomerates:

The New Conglomerate operates as a loosely organized band of highly effective freedom fighters, vehemently opposed to the stranglehold that the Terran Republic has on Auraxis. Led by an unusual quorum of outcasts, industry titans, and pirates, the New Conglomerate is unwavering and prepared to achieve freedom from oppression by any means necessary. Their colours are blue and gold. NC forces use hard hitting gauss weaponry that is devastating at short and medium ranges with a medium reload time, supported by heavily armoured assault troops and durable tanks and fighters that also have the highest damage per shot in the game.

Planetside 2: Target audience

Write a possible target audience demographic for Planetside 2 in general:

• The target audience for Planetside 2 could potentially range from 18 - 35 years old
• 80% male and 20% female
• Social class: mainly middle class
• Students in college and university
• Towns and cities
• ABC1 demographic

Now write a target audience demographic for each faction from Planetside 2 – it will be similar to the overall target audience but think carefully about changes in age, education or employment:

• The Terran Republic:

ABC1 demographic - requires tactics

• The Vanu Sovereignty:

ABC1 Demographic; requires new technology and education/employment

• The New Conglomerates:

Age 18 - 24 - rebels especially as this game focuses on this particular aspect
Doesn't necessarily require someone to be in employment

Now use what you have learned about psychographic profiling to choose potential psychographic groups for each of the three factions:

• The Terran Republic:

Mainstreamers - seek security; these are people who live in the world of the domestic and the everyday. 

• The Vanu Sovereignty:

Resigned: seek survival.


Succeeders: seek control; succeeders possess self-confidence, have a strong goal orientation and tend to be very organised. As a result, they tend to occupy positions of responsibility in society. When it comes to brands, they will often seek out the best because that is what they feel they deserve.

• The New Conglomerates:

Reformers - enlightenment/change; valuing their own independent judgement. 

Explorers: seek discovery; these people are driven by a need for discovery, challenge and new frontiers. Young in nature, if not in reality, Explorers are often the first to try out new ideas and experiences.