PlanetSide 2's World Domination Series Preseason 2 Challenges are underway, running through February 28, 2014.

Boasting more than 6 million players worldwide, PlanetSide 2 proved to be epic in 2013. Sony Online Entertainment is showcasing just how massive the last year was through an all-new video produced by Robert Stoneman, a Cinematic Designer for the film and video games industry.

As you'll see, the video showcases the intensity of the battles and sense of camaraderie among soldiers during the Auraxian War.

One year ago today, Sony Online Entertainment launched its critically acclaimed free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter, PlanetSide 2. Since then, more than 6 million players worldwide have enlisted to join one of the three Empires -- Terran Republic, Vanu Sovereignty or New Conglomerate -- to take part in the epic battles that span the planet of Auraxis. 

SOE's massive online shooter PlanetSide 2 just concluded its first-ever pre-season for its new "World Domination Series", or WDS for short. The Vanu Sovereignty came out on top over the New Conglomerate and Terran Republic in what was a hotly contested first round of competition.

Today we've got a behind-the-scenes look at how Sony Online Entertainment approaches game optimization for the MMOFPS PlanetSide 2. In the first part of this cheeky video series "Operation: Make Faster Game!", members of the team discuss specifics of what they're working on. For instance, someone mentions that "input processing on the HUD" is causing a delay of 0.3/0.4 milliseconds.

The PlanetSide 2 World Domination Series Pre-Season Challenge is a competition that pits the three empires against each other, with each week's winners reaping the rewards. Dominate territory and fight for control of the world as you contribute to this five week event, ending on October 21. Whether you're a member of the New Conglomerate, Terran Republic, or Vanu Sovereignty you can leap into the game now and contribute to the effort. If you're not a member yet and are unsure of which empire to join, head over to the official site and take their empire quiz!

Those who have pre-ordered Sony’s next-generation console have even more reason to celebrate, with the news that PlanetSide 2 will be heading to the PlayStation 4. There’s no promise that SOE’s flagship MMOFPS will be ready for the console’s launch on November 15 (29 in Europe), but it will contain everything currently in the PC version.

When I spoke to creative director Matt Higby in a roundtable discussion at Gamescom, he was upbeat about the move, promising that it will look as good as a PC on the highest settings. While there won’t be any cross-platform play, Higby also suggested that we might see a facility to transfer characters from PC to PS4 servers and vice versa, all in the name of helping us play with friends.

“We’re not doing it [cross-platform play], but the main reason is logistical. When you’re releasing something on the PlayStation Network, it goes through a different level of QA from SCEE and SCEA. We can’t guarantee that our PC and PS4 servers will be on the same version all the time, so that means we can’t have characters jumping back and forth or playing on the same servers.”

While the PS4 version is still in the pipeline, the PC version has already clocked over five million users. On August 16, European publisher ProsiebenSat.1 took the unusual step of launching a retail version. Priced at €10, the box contains codes for that amount in store currency, along with exclusive items and useful boosts. It also contains a DVD, saving 8GB of download time for those suffering with low-quality internet.

There is something tremendously appealing about the concept of the Player Studio. It places power in the hands of gamers and encourages them to design and participate in their favorite games in new and interesting ways--while making a little money too.

It's no surprise then that SOE has brought Player Studio to PlanetSide 2. Now science fiction aficianados can let their creative side run wild and bring new, unique looks to the conflict on Auraxis.

PlanetSide 2 continues to undergo constant change. The Road Map—an outline of current development that the players actually contribute their opinions to—promises improvements in a variety of areas, including outfit recruitment.

There can be few additions with a bigger impact than the recently announced Battle Islands. The first of these smaller, more focused fields of battle might be misconstrued as just an instanced battleground made for SOE’s partnership with MLG.

From early on in PlanetSide 2's beta--when chatting to SOE developers such as Tramell Ray Isaac and Matt Higby--it was evident that a competitive, eSport capable element to the huge MMOFPS was on the cards.

Today we get a glimpse of how this might be implemented with the Major League Gaming-ready Battle Island Nexus.