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DayZ Creator On War Z Development, Drama
Dean “Rocket” Hall wrote a brief missive to fans about the whole saga surrounding the development of the standalone DayZ game, apologizing for his recent silence and expressing a desire to distance himself from the drama surrounding competing (or, as some would say, “rip-off”) game The War Z’s contentious release and subsequent removal from Valve’s Steam service.
Hall’s entire message, posted to the DayZ subreddit, follows:
I know I have been very quiet lately. So this will be really all I'll say for the moment.
I've been pretty depressed about the whole situation. From a personal standpoint, this whole "saga" of the development made me seriously question if I wanted to be involved in the industry and I gave serious thought to cutting my losses and not being involved in the project.
At my Army Discharge medical this week, they noted I now have high blood pressure. Some things in life just aren't worth worrying about.
I've been getting hammered by a massive amount with requests for information about DayZ release, interviews and my reactions to this and stuff and such – but for my own sanity I retreated and have kept to myself. Right now I'm just at home doing bits and pieces on the DayZ development. The rest of the DayZ team is doing the same.
I realize that I went back on my word about releasing an update, but went back into my shell for a bit last week, and I'll come out when the dust is all settled.
DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive has also struggled with the incarceration of members of their team on dubious spying charges from the Greek government.
I salute Hall’s restraint despite a modern communication climate that can turn vicious in a heartbeat. I’d like to echo the common refrain from the Reddit thread, as well: staying sane and healthy is far more important – and will result in a much better game in the long run – than worrying about drama like this.
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