Why Now Is The Time to Revive PlayStation’s Boldest…

Summary

Sony is determined to make the live service model work, considering reviving the underrated PlayStation 3 shooter, MAG.
MAG stood out with its massive multiplayer battlefields, allowing up to 256 players to wage war online, ahead of its time.
A rebooted MAG sequel should focus on increasing gameplay depth and scale, taking inspiration from games like New World and PlanetSide 2.

Recent years have seen the live service model of gaming go through some serious ups and downs, with titles like Fortnite continuing to draw in players while big-budget contenders like Suicide Squad: Kills the Justice League have failed to find their footing. But despite the setbacks suffered by several recent live service titles, gaming powerhouse Sony still seems determined to make the contentious business model work. With Sony not ready to abandon its live service ambitions just yet, now could be the perfect time for it to revive the underrated PlayStation 3 shooter, MAG, for a new generation.

Created by developer Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2010, MAG was an ambitious multiplayer shooter released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Allowing up to 256 players to battle it out online in an era when most multiplayer console games topped out at 24 players or fewer, the online-only military shooter was ahead of its time. With such large-scale shooters remaining a relative rarity, bringing back MAG’s massively multiplayer online action with an increased emphasis on scale and strategy could spell success for Sony.

MAG’s Massive Multiplayer Battlefield Deserves a Second Chance to Shine

Though largely overlooked today, MAG offered players some unique gameplay mechanics that still set it apart from most contemporary shooters, with the most obvious of these being the sheer scale of its online battlefields. While most console shooters of its era only allowed for a few dozen online players at most, MAG’s six multiplayer modes unleashed anywhere from 64 to 256 players onto the battlefield at once to wage war. When MAG’s servers were shuttered in 2014, it left a hole in the console gaming landscape that remains unfilled.

If Sony revives MAG for the PlayStation 5 it needs to do more than just give the game a graphical overhaul, it should also increase the depth and scale of the gameplay. Giving players a real sense of ownership over the territory they’re fighting for control of would be one way to do this, with Amazon’s MMO New World providing an unexpected template for how such a system could be implemented. And when it comes to stepping up the scale in a MAG sequel, the formerly Sony-helmed PlanetSide 2 proves that bigger battlefields can be a blast.

A MAG Sequel Should Step up the Scope and Scale of Combat

The way the fight for control of the island of Aeternum in New World is handled offers a good example for a MAG sequel to follow. Rather than just being a battlefield to be conquered, New World players live, craft, and interact with others in the game’s settlements. Implementing a similar system for a MAG sequel where players could build up defenses, craft and refine weapons, or learn new skills in conquerable outposts on a persistent battlefield would add depth to the gameplay and real stakes to in-game battles.

If Sony went this route with a rebooted MAG it would need to increase both the player count and map size to make the game world feel truly alive, and the massively multiplayer online shooter PlanetSide 2 provides the perfect template for this. Launched in 2012 for PC and PS4, PlanetSide 2 lets up to 2,000 players battle for control of a single, seamless map. Setting a follow-up to MAG on a similarly sized map would dramatically increase the scale of the in-game skirmishes and give Sony a unique exclusive with the potential to pull in new players to PS5.

By keeping what worked from the original title while drastically expanding the scope and scale of the gameplay, a MAG sequel could be a big hit for Sony. And while releasing a new live service title in today’s gaming landscape is always a risky proposition, a well-made sequel to this often-overlooked shooter could provide players with yet another must-have exclusive for PS5.

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PS5

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Brand: Sony
Original Release Date: November 12, 2020

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Sony's PlayStation 5 is part of the ninth console generation and debuted with a launch lineup that included Demon's Souls and Astro's Playroom. The console comes with a Blu-ray disc, although a digital-only edition is also available for a cheaper price.

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