PlanetSide 2 <行星边际2>

The9 has launched a bit of an interesting PR campaign for their newest acquisition, PlanetSide 2. The9 is one of China’s top online game operators and developers, previously responsible for World of Warcraft’s presence in China. PlanetSide 2 is Sony Online Entertainment’s free to play MMOFPS, released in the US last November. The way the Chinese are getting to see their first glimpses of PlanetSide 2, however, makes it seem more like a Team Ninja meets Mass Effect game.

PlanetSide 2’s Weibo page is now touting three new promotional images of models in their underwear holding guns on an intergalactic battlefield. The introduction for the images reads:

warfare poll hot battle, the goddesses of the three factions have suddenly arrived. New Conglomerate goddess, @Darling Devious Angel; Terran Republic’s @MissIvy Xieyan; and Vanu Sovereignty’s @Autumn Child Wangren. Vote for the faction you support, and get a chance to win faction military cards and Razer mouse. A very lucky participant can even meet a goddess and have their prize sent to them directly from her! Act quickly!

In case you were wondering, Devious Darling Angel, MissIvy Xieyan, and Autumn Child Wangren are the Weibo usernames of the models chosen for each faction. The posting includes links to their pages, where you can find even more pictures from the PlanetSide 2 shoot. Additionally, the page for the pollexplains that by voting for a faction, you enter for a chance to win some faction cards, or the grand prize of having your faction’s goddess personally send you your Razer mouse.

Hit the break for more on the girls, the campaign, pictures, and the Weibo reaction.

Each faction goddess also wrote (very cut and paste) pitches for their groups, like Darling Devious Angel who wrote,

I support the New Conglomerate. I love freedom, I love combat. Destroy oppression and power, fight for freedom! Join PlanetSide 2 now, join Auraxis’ strongest faction, the New Conglomerate! Vote for the New Conglomerate; defeat the Terran Republic and the Vanu Sovereignty! I will support the New Conglomerate’s warriors by rewarding them with Razer mice!

What the girls *actually* say for themselves on their own pages include MissIvy writing, “My first breakthrough~ also my final one, ~haha~ everyone vote please please please please please~ I represent the Terran Republic!” and “Two shots of vodka thank you ~ I really can’t believe that’s me~” Devious Darling Angel wrote, “Everybody please support the New Conglomerate, I am the New Conglomerate, everybody please vote for me [kissing smiley].” Autumn Child Wangren seemed more invested in her role by writing, “PlanetSide 2 warfare poll hot battle has three factions! I am the purple representative of the Vanu Sovereignty (cruel), our technology is extremely advanced; on the battlefield we use formidable alien technology; whoever interferes with our people shall be eliminated! Support my side and please vote!”

As it stands, it seems the New Conglomerate’s Darling Devious Angel is ahead. Her picture has 62 forwards and 31 comments, compared to Vanu’s 23 forwards and 10 comments and Terran’s paltry 19 forwards and 1 comment (the comment being: “Is this war or a beauty pageant?”) After voting, you can see the actual poll numbers, which differ a bit from posting activity:

Top left is New Conglomerate; Top right is Terran Republic; Bottom is Vanu Sovereignty

The only complaints in the comments come from guys upset that they turned a war-based game into a beauty competition (sounds a bit like the Mass Effect 3’s Facebook “pick the female Shepard”campaign), and not so much about, you know, how objectifying it is that they’ve chosen to represent their factions with women in their underwear, calling them “goddesses” and petitioning the masses to “support” them and that they’ll “reward” their followers with Razer mice. It’s like consumerism and misogyny all wrapped into one delicious space bikini package. Anyway, I vote for the Terran Republic because she’s the cutest and I felt bad for her.

New Conglomerate

Terran Republic

Vanu Sovereignty

Poking around Autumn Child Wangren’s Weibo account reveals that the photoshoot wasn’t really anything more than a bikini shoot. While these pictures didn’t make it to the PlanetSide 2 official Weibo, they still have the PlanetSide 2 logo in the corner for some reason: