H1Z1 being split into two games – Free to play ditched

The zombie survival H1Z1, which was SOE’s answer to DayZ, is now going to be split into two completely different games.

The reason it’s being split is because the Battle Royale game mode and the survival mode have attracted two different players bases and Daybreak feel both would be better served by having their own games. The survival game will be called H1Z1: Just Survive while the Battle Royale players will be getting H1Z1: King of the Kill.

H1Z1: King of the Kill is now being described as a “fast-paced shooter comprised of multiple, fight-to-the-death game modes, including Battle Royale”. H1Z1: Just Survive will “focus on truly delivering a persistent, open-world zombie survival experience where scavenging, crafting, and base building are the difference between life and death. ”

Anyone who currently owns H1Z1 will ge given both games which will both appear in the Steam Library on 17 February when the games will split from each other. When the 17th arrives both games will be available as separate Early Access titles priced $19.99 each.

H1Z1: King of the Kill will come out of Early Access this summer and H1Z1: Just Survive some time after, although no date has been given yet.

Owners of H1Z1 can find an FAQ on the official site which goes over some of the finer points of the change.

H1Z1 was conceived as a free to play game way back in April 2014 and this move will change the player dynamic. The game will likely end up with a smaller player base until they eventually decide to make it free to play again which will probably happen. It usually does.

Since the game was announced we’ve seen a glut of zombie and survival games so perhaps they want to reap further financial rewards before players get totally fed up with the whole zombie survival thing.

Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see how this works for Daybreak.