What started as a simple mod has now developed into one of the more anticipated titles of the year. At the Eurogamer Expo, Day Z developer Dean "Rocket" Hall confirmed that the standalone game will be available by the end of the year.
Eurogamer reports that in a presentation at the Expo, Hall explained that the team hopes to have the initial game available by December, with updates and additional features to follow early next year.
Hall announced his intention to turn Day Z into a standalone title earlier this summer, which is why it's something of a surprise that the game will be available so quickly. The mod helped create a major resurgence for the game that it modifies, ArmA 2, as many gamers have only bought the 2010 game solely so they could play the mod. As a result, ArmA 2 is currently one of the most played and popular games on Steam. DayZ now counts over one million players total. The mod itself is a free download, only requiring ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead, a 2010 expansion for ArmA 2, to run.
Hall explains that the rush is the result of his need to get the game in front of players before copycat games get made. When asked about clones and similar games, particularly The War Z, Hall chose not to mudsling, and focused on what Day Z can offer. During his presentation, Hall asked, "Should I sue anyone who ever mentions something to do with zombie horror - will that make a better game? And the whole premise of of DayZ, and the whole premise of our development is we're going to make an awesome game. That's what we're selling. We're going to price it low and lots of people are going to play it. If we compromise on that, we're screwed."
Among other things, Day Z will feature "diseases spreading through feces and vomit; removing the user interface; using household weapons; allowing people to craft splints to help mend broken bones." He also mentioned that vehicles would be one of the longer-term features the team planned to include.
