The battle royale shooter H1Z1: King of the Kill is like “McDonald’s”: Even though it is heavily criticized, there are numerous customers.
The US site Kotaku has looked into an interesting phenomenon: The battle royale shooter H1Z1: King of the Kill is among the most played games on Steam, according to their statistics. However, it has mixed reviews.
Normally, the games that appear in the top 10 of the most played games are well-liked in the Steam reviews.
Dota 2 is rated “very positive”
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – also very positive
Grand Theft Auto V mostly positive
H1Z1: King of the Kill, on the other hand, only receives an “Mixed” rating and has many negative reviews compared to the other top games. Out of nearly 64,000 reviews, 25,000 are negative.
Fans mainly criticize that H1Z1 is unfinished and buggy. Daybreak Games is accused of focusing more on microtransactions than completing the game.
Over 100,000 people play H1Z1: King of the Kill simultaneously
However, the success story of the shooter speaks against this. H1Z1: King of the Kill originated in February 2016 as a spin-off of the zombie MMO H1Z1 and slowly but surely gained popularity on Steam.
In the first months, there were only 19,000 players online at peak. By the beginning of 2017, it had reached 40,000, and now it is often over 100,000 players.
The reason for the success is mainly the presence of H1Z1 on Twitch, where the attractive battle royale concept attracts many viewers.
H1Z1: King of the Kill – Unfortunately awesome
How does this fit together? It’s a strange phenomenon. In the negative reviews, it is repeatedly stated: Bugs! The same bugs have been in the game for 2 years. Too few updates, there is too little going on.
Even in the positive reviews, it is noted: Yes, there are bugs in the game, but the feeling when you win is just too great and compensates for a lot.
As the reviews show, even people who supposedly abhor H1Z1 continue to play it over and over again. One says, he has uninstalled H1Z1 four times. Many of the Steam critics who judge negatively have spent 50 hours or more on H1Z1.
Like McDonald’s
A similar phenomenon as with the fast-food chain McDonald’s. There, too, the reputation is controversial. However, people still flock to the fast food outlets. They supposedly do not like it, but they eat there anyway.
Apparently, the game concept of battle royale, where frustration and triumph are so close to each other, is a formula for success. It brings players to the deepest lows and highest highs. A love-hate relationship between the game and the player develops – people simply cannot stop playing H1Z1, even if they supposedly hate it.
H1Z1 vs. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
However: With PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, H1Z1 now has a battle royale competitor that follows the same concept and has achieved great success in a short time. Compared to H1Z1, which is more focused on fast action and arcade, Battlegrounds is more realistic.
But H1Z1 can hold its own against the newcomer. Apparently, there is enough room for two battle royale games on the market. There is also enough room for Burger King next to McDonald’s.
Some of the problems are being addressed by H1Z1: King of the Kill:
H1Z1 was originally a survival game. From that survival game, the 'Battle Royale' shooter H1Z1: King of the Hill later emerged. The survival game became known a...
