Sony Online Entertainment, the developer of H1Z1, announced that there is no date yet for the release of the game, although fans are expecting the zombie apocalypse game to roll out by fall of this year. The announcement was made on Sept. 2 on the game's Reddit page.
It said, "As of today (09/02/2014), there is NO confirmed release date for either Early Access or the final game. When a date is known, it will be posted everywhere and you won't be able to miss it."
The MMO (massively multiplayer online) game is still being developed for its Early Access Alpha on Steam. Once ready, fans can purchase the Early Access Alpha version, temporarily priced at $19.99, but need to be ready for lots of hiccups and errors.
"H1Z1 is currently being developed for Early Access Alpha release on Steam," the company said. "Once released for Early Access Alpha, those who choose to purchase should anticipate an evolving feature set, bugs, incomplete content, missing features, and potentially game breaking issues. Early Access is designed for those wishing to support the ongoing development of H1Z1 and be a part of shaping its future."
Rather than fighting one another against a backdrop of zombies, players of H1Z1 need to cooperate in order to survive. According to the game's updates, the game will feature varying weather conditions as well as changes in the time of day and temperature. Houses and dwellings can be built and customized. Gear and other items will degrade but can be repaired. Characters can farm and hunt and will have to find ways to survive in their environment while fighting against zombies.
"The way we would like to see this roll out is much more like players building small enclaves or pockets of territory and hold out against a legitimate zombie threat that's ever present while others go it alone taking their chances," said President of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley in a post last April. "These player-built structures, forts and towns are one of the ways the players try to carve out some small space in a dangerous world."
Further, he says, "We also want to make sure we have a deep in-game economy that is heavily dependent on crafting. Players will be able to become manufacturers... sell bullets, arrows, etc. The in-game economy will be entirely player driven."
The game's PC version is expected to be released ahead of the Playstation version.
