Zombie apocalypse shooter H1Z1 is changing in a major way from the game’s original vision. Developer Daybreak Game Company announced today that the game will split into two stand-alone games starting February 17.
The game will be split into H1Z1: Just Survive and H1Z1: King of the Kill. H1Z1: Just Survive will focus more so on the survival open world elements of the game with crafting and base-building being a major gameplay element. H1Z1: King of the Kill will be focusing more on the multiplayer elements of the game, including the largely popular Battle Royale mode; a favorite for game streamers. Separate development teams will work on each incarnation of the game.
Despite the popularity of H1Z1 the game never made the transition out of Steam Early-Access. The development team announced that in summer 2016 H1Z1: King of the Kill will be moving out of Steam Early-Access and be made available on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4. No time frame was given on when H1Z1: Just Survive will make its own transition out of early access but the plan is to make the game available for PC and console as well. With the two teams working on each game the developer is optimistic that this will happen sooner than later.
Players who already own H1Z1 will have the two games added to their Steam games library on February 17th (the official day of the split). Items obtained in the game such as crates, keys, and tickets will be duplicated to be available in both iterations unless the item is game specific.
For those who do not own H1Z1 yet can buy the game anytime before February 16th to receive both versions. Starting February 17th, both games will be available as separate titles for $19.99 each.
Initially the game was intended to be a Free-To-Play game once it launched but Daybreak has made it clear that they have moved away from that model.
More news to come at www.H1Z1.com