Daybreak Games has revealed that the PC version of H1Z1: King of the Kill will come out of early access and fully launch on 20th September, while the planned versions for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be put on hold to concentrate on the launch.
Since the launch of the early access programme, H1Z1: King of the Kill has gone through several changes, including overhauls to the combat and vehicle systems, the addition of Skirmishes, and changes to the toxicity system. There’s more changes planned for the launch too, with a totally revamped world map, redesigned and more intuitive user interface, training modes, Twitch integration, scoring systems and seasons.
“You could make top 60 in one match and top five in the next; the drama of that competition makes King of the Kill extremely entertaining to play and watch. The game is inherently competitive, but by design all players have a chance of claiming the coveted number one spot, not just the elite. The feeling you get when you outlast hundreds of other players – it is what drives players to compete – and you can’t get it anywhere else.” said Larry LaPierre, SVP of Games at Daybreak Games.
While the news is good for PC players, unfortunately console users will be left disappointed by the news that both platforms have been paused while Daybreak Games puts “100% of the focus on the PC version of the game “.
“When I first joined the H1Z1 team, I looked to build a plan that would get H1Z1 out of Early Access and shipped on three platforms. Working out that schedule, everything lined up for a summer release of the game. We were just as excited as our players with the idea of King of the Kill on their PS4 or Xbox One.” said Executive Producer Chris Wynn’s. “As we started to execute against that plan, it became apparent that the schedule was just too risky. We were spread too thin trying to fix areas of the game while simultaneously getting the game to work on the console hardware. It became clear that to best line up the game for success was to reduce the number of variables in the equation.”
“As a result, I have decided to pause our efforts on the console versions and put 100% of the focus on to the PC version of the game for right now. It was definitely a tough decision, but I think it was the right one to make.”
That doesn’t mean it’s completely over for the console ports though, because Wynn promises that once the full PC experience is out of early access, attention will be reverted back to the console experiences.
“What does that mean for an Xbox One and PS4 launch? As soon as we ship the full PC experience out of Early Access, we will turn our focus back to converting that same experience to run on the consoles. I don’t want to promise an exact date, since we are committed to doing it the best way possible at the expense of time.” said Wynn.
Have you been playing H1Z1 in early access? What do you make of it?
