Sci-fi MMO FPS Planetside 2 launches on 20th November 2012, Sony Online Entertainment has announced. The title launches on that date free to play for all, and brings to an end the closed beta and character wipes players have become accustomed to.

Just like the first PlanetSide, PlanetSide 2, powered by the orgelight MMO engine, chronicles the efforts of three factions as they fight for territorial control of the planet Auraxis. With an extensive skill tree and a free-form class-based system, players will be able to customize their soldier, weapons and vehicles to match their play-style, or the needs of their squad, outfit or empire. Battles can last for days or weeks, so players will need to build real alliances and combat outfits to take on long-term strategic and tactical initiatives.

Beyond PlanetSide 2 launching in November, the team also informed us that the battle for Auraxis will soon expand to a third continent, dark, swamp-infested Amerish, following from rocky Indar and arctic Esamir.