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Sony Online Entertainment Announces Zombie-Themed MMO H1Z1
As teased earlier, Sony Online Entertainment has revealed a new MMO set in a post apocalyptic world filled with zombies. The game is called H1Z1 and it should be playable soon.
During an episode of the Game Talk Live podcast, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley talked about the new game. Unlike some other zombie MMOs, H1Z1 looks to drop players into a whole world filled with undead. H1Z1, which is likely named after the H1N1 swine flu virus, will allow players to build forts to protect themselves from the zombie hordes or even burn down the forest in attempt to kill off the shambling masses.
On a post on Reddit, Smedley explained, "Our vision for this game is very simple but ambitious. We are starting with what I would call 'Middle America' – an 'anywhere and everywhere' town. The world is massive as you’ve come to expect from our games. Over time we will grow the world until we have our own version of the U.S. after the death and destruction brought on during the H1Z1 epidemic. It will be our own version of America. We’ll have urban cities and desolate wide open places. All connected seamlessly. Our focus is building a sandbox style of gameplay where players can build shelters out of resources in the world. They can even work together to make amazing fortresses complete with weaponry to help defend against both the Infected and other players."
SOE is really hoping that players will embrace the game and that some of their creations – via Player Studio – could even make their way into the final game. Players will be able to form roving gangs with their own headquarters in abandoned warehouses, build new structures from scratch, and even make their own towns or camps complete with their own security defenses. The full game will feature a day night cycle, vehicles, a robust trading system, and thousands of online players. We'll have to wait a little longer to learn when we'll be able to get our hands on H1Z1, but in the meantime check out SOE's official H1Z1 site.
[Source: Game Talk Live, Reddit]
Our Take
This sounds ambitious. People have really gotten into survival games like Day Z and Rust, so it makes since that SOE would want a piece of that pie, and H1Z1 sounds bigger than other games like it, so that's cool. However, it also sounds reliant on players to embrace the game, so I imagine that it won't be very welcoming to newcomers after it establishes it's fan base.
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