The badly battered battle royale game H1Z1, the predecessor of PUBG and Fortnite, might finally be released after more than 3 years in early access. According to rumors, the launch could be imminent.
The battle royale shooter H1Z1 emerged in 2016 from a zombie survival MMO. Initially, it was called “King of the Kill”; now, it’s just H1Z1.
In the summer of 2017, H1Z1 was still an incredibly successful game on PC. However, the battle royale shooter has faced challenges lately. Since major competitors PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite: Battle Royale entered the market, player counts have drastically declined.
Over 91 percent of H1Z1 players have dropped out and likely moved to PUBG or Fortnite. But at least it seems that something is happening with H1Z1 now.
The rumors are intensifying: Launch of H1Z1 is near
According to MassivelyOP, the rumors about an upcoming launch of H1Z1 are intensifying.
The basis: During a livestream by the developer Daybreak, a screen from Season 1 was shown. It was hinted that there would be no further “pre-seasons”.
This could mean that it is finally getting serious and H1Z1 is “officially” hitting the market. On the other hand, according to MassivelyOP, it could just be a hint towards the “Royalty Showdown” event that started on February 21, where 75 players from 7 pre-seasons compete for a title.
Also suspicious: There was a massive test server update, including new loot crates and healing items. It’s quite possible that the features of the release version are already being tested here.
H1Z1 with a turbulent early access period
H1Z1 has been in early access since January 2015 – back then still as a survival MMO. A release of the battle royale variant “King of the Kill” was initially planned. It was supposed to be officially released in 2016 and also come out for PS4 and Xbox One. However, that all fell apart somehow.
Curiously, in China, the carnage in H1Z1 is said to be “educationally valuable.”
