We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

PlanetSide 2 in-game adverts went a bit wonky yesterday, so SOE has sent them to the ER

PlanetSide 2 adverts went haywire

Along with the new Mission System, SOE implemented some changes to its in-game notification system in the latest PlanetSide 2 update. These notifications were directed at certain players, essentially serving as adverts. 

Nobody wants to get pestered with ads when playing a game, and yesterday it all got a bit out of control. The changes to the system meant that on top of offers and special deals, players were being notified about events – which would normally be pretty convenient – but with multiple events going on, deals still being promoted, and a game update that reset who should get notifications, players ended up getting bombarded. 

Our bad, says SOE. 

“[T]he frequency of yesterday’s ‘pop-up’ notifications was egregiously wrong and absolutely not what we had intended for the system,” says creative director Matthew Higby in a forum post. “We’re really sorry for how irritating these were.”

The notifications were also interfering with gameplay, and while the system is being fixed, they’ve been removed from the game. They will return though, says Higby, as they are necessary.

“As a free-to-play game, our servers are kept running by the support of a relatively small percentage of the player-base, and initiatives like this are critical to us being able to grow the percentage of players who are helping support the game. The alternatives are to either cut back on the development resources, or add more and more items for our existing supporters to purchase to make up the difference. Compared to those options, I think you’ll agree that increasing awareness of our Membership and marketplace offerings, and expanding the percentage of players who support the game is preferable as it is what keeps development going.”

If you were gallivanting around Auraxis yesterday, did you fall foul of these notifications, or were you too busy shooting folk in their futuristic faces to care?