'DayZ' release date, news: Game leaving early access on Steam, Beta version to be out soon

A promotional photo for Bohemia's "DayZ" Facebook/dayzdevteam

It has been three years since video game developer Bohemia has placed their survival game "DayZ" on early access for PC gamers via Steam. Recently, they have finally announced that they are done with early access and will roll out the beta version and the official version for both PC and even Xbox One hopefully within 2018.

Bohemia made the exciting announcement on their official blog post earlier this week, telling its fans about the beta version and the console release for the game. "Make no mistake: this commitment is done taking all of our previous scheduling mistakes into account," reads an excerpt from the post. "We're serious about it. [2018 is] shaping up to be one of the most important years for 'DayZ.'"

As for what the "DayZ BETA" would include, lead producer Eugen Harton mentions that it is the complete game from the developers' point of view. From a gamer's perspective, those who know how to mod will have the ability to do so with the game, as it will serve as a platform for them as well. "By saying platform, I mean an ecosystem where we are able to keep adding things and building the DayZ community from PC BETA onward," said Harton.

They have released several updates for the past three years for the game, but unfortunately, not all of those will make it to the beta version. Some of those that will be scrapped include vehicle optimization and animal companions.

According to GameSpot, since its early access on Steam, it has sold more than three million copies. The support from their fans enabled Bohemia to even announce the game for consoles: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, in the latest blog post, they made no mention of the PS4 but promised Xbox One players that the game will definitely be coming soon to their consoles.

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