In an AMA on Reddit yesterday, John Smedley, the president of Sony Online Entertainment, was asked about similarities that SOE's upcoming MMO H1Z1 shares with DayZ. Smedley acknowledged that he, and "most of the people on our team" are 'fans and contributors' of DayZ.
"Not going to give some politically correct dodgy b.s. answer," he wrote. "H1Z1 is a survival in a Zombie Apocalypse game. So is DayZ. They have made a brilliant game (first I might add). So sure. We're another Zombie Apocalypse game. Call it what it is. But our goal is to make ours fun, accessible, hard core and super, super deep.
"This is our take on the Zombie Apocalypse with a lot of friends and hopefully some great enemies both living and dead," Smedley added. "We're proud to be up front and say we love DayZ and the job they've done and we hope they enjoy what we make, too."
A key difference, Smedley said, is that H1Z1 will allow players to create "structures, forts and towns" to hold out against the post-apocalyptic nightmare. There also will be "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."
H1Z1 will be available on Steam Early Access for $20 sometime in the coming weeks. It will launch on PC first and then come to PlayStation 4.
