PlanetSide Next beta to launch early next year

Not long ago the President of Sony Online Entertainment managed to not "technically announce" a sequel to the massively multiplayer FPS, PlanetSide.

a sequel to the massively multiplayer FPS, PlanetSide. Now he's revealed that there's going to be a beta after the game's official announcement early next year.

President of Sony Online, John Smedley announced the planned beta on his blog, writing "early next year we will have announcements about Planetside Next followed by a beta. I can say this - it's coming along awesome. I can also say that the first beta testers are going to be current Planetside subscribers. I've gotten a lot of email from current players offering to help test the game and we're going to take them up on it."

That's good news for current PlanetSide subscribers. Hopefully the beta will widen its doors as development progresses. Did you play PlanetSide? Got any war stories from the front lines?