Popular zombie survival game H1Z1 is getting some big changes later this month, namely that the game's two major pieces are being split into two entirely different games.
Starting on Feb. 17, there will be two different H1Z1 experiences. The first, subtitled Just Survive, will be the classic zombie survival experience that attracted many to the game in the first place. The other, called H1Z1: King of the Hill, will be a multiplayer-focused title with a variety of game modes, including the popular Battle Royale game mode. Here is what DayBreak had to say about this split:
"Last year, we started to notice new player trends emerging — both the initial Survival game and Battle Royale game mode now have strong populations who almost exclusively play one or the other.
"The more we developed this game with you, our community, the more we realized that in order to fully support both aspects of H1Z1, and their respective players, we needed to make them their own stand-alone games supported by their own dedicated development teams. Many players in the community have been discussing splitting the game and we've heard you loud and clear. We want to make sure we give both titles the support they need and deserve to truly flourish."
H1Z1 has been in Early Access since the game arrived on Steam in January 2015. While H1Z1: Just Survive will stay in Early Access for the near future, the game's multiplayer spin-off will be leaving it and releasing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this summer.
Those who purchase the current version of H1Z1 right now for $19.99 (or $14.99, if you get it now during Steam's Lunar New Year sale) will get both versions of the game when it splits on Feb. 17. Both H1Z1: Just Survive and H1Z1: King of the Hill will retail for $19.99 separately. All crates, items and keys for existing players will be duplicated and available in both versions of the game when the split arrives.
Originally, back before Sony sold DayBreak (then known as Sony Online Entertainment), H1Z1 was intended to become a free-to-play game. DayBreak says that will no longer be the case. Despite having a "mixed" user review score on Steam, H1Z1 has proved to be a popular title in the zombie survival genre made famous by DayZ. The game has sold more than one million copies so far. No longer being attached to Sony also means the developer can now sell games for Xbox One and mobile, which it will be doing this summer when H1Z1: King of the Hill arrives on Microsoft's console.
