PlanetSide 2 changes revealed: Auraxium axed, three-continent launch confirmed

Like war's penchant for fluidity, PlanetSide 2's numerous touch-ups to its membership benefits and its eternal struggle with gameplay balances make for some interesting developer forum posts. In a new report from the front , Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley revealed a few changes in the scorch-marked pipeline, including the removal of the Auraxium currency and the announcement of a specific release date during the upcoming SOE Live keynote on Thursday.

Smedley also said "large plans" are in store for ensuring the availability of all three continents -- Indar, Esamir, and Amerish -- right at launch. "Also, keep in mind this will involve stuff like base benefits and what happens when people 'lock down' continents," he hinted. We presume this involves enough party hats for everyone back at base.

Check out the rest of Smedley's post for more info, including future optimizations of PlanetSide 2's CPU-intensive load and the formation of a new mini-tutorial for beginners.

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?