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H1Z1 Leaves Early Access Today, Adds Vehicular Battle Royale Mode
H1Z1, once one of the most popular games on Steam, is coming out of early access today with a HUD overhaul and a mode titled Auto Royale.
Sometimes credited as the progenitor of the Battle Royale genre, H1Z1 is leaving early access after roughly two years in the in-development category once the game split into two different projects. The officially released version adds a vehicle combat battle royale mode that pits 30 teams against each other in a map surrounded by ramps, oil slicks, turbo boosts, and more.
The news that H1Z1 is officially releasing accompanies the recent revelations of the game's numbers dropping precipitously over the last year, according to this report by Gamasutra. At its height, H1Z1 stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other Steam giants like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Dota 2, but has fallen to 9000 - 14,000 concurrent players in recent months.
The H1Z1 league, a competitive professional league for the game, season for 2018 is scheduled to begin in Q1. You can check out the launch trailer for the vehicular battle mode below.
Our Take
While it's about time the game came out of early access, after Fortnite and Battlegrounds, H1Z1 feels a generation behind and has certainly been left behind in market mindshare. Maybe the release will help it recapture its glory, as the battle royale market is still extremely volatile.
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