Daybreak’s H1Z1, their MMO zombie themed survival game, is ostensibly free to play, but earlier today, news came to light that implied that the game may be trying to gradually shift to a subscription model like so many other MMOs. Essentially, the changes centered around the Battle Royale mode, where the developer tried to restrict access to it by being only the top ranked player in any given match- to compensate for this (previously, you could get tickets to qualify for Battle Royale by placing in the top 30% in any match), they also announced 30 day unlimited access to the mode for $6.99.
Players immediately objected- not only was this insidious, but it was also a far cry from the vision of the game as had been originally promised to us, and it also made no sense to start charging for subscriptions, especially given that the game is still unfinished.
For now, then, Daybreak seems to have backtracked on these plans. Said Daybreak’s John Smedley in a statement:
“We’ve listened to your feedback. It came through loud and clear. From our perspective we’ve been really super clear about our plans from even before day 1 regarding this. What’s also clear though is that you expect more from us in terms of quality level so that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll focus on bugs, awesome new stuff and adding a ton of features to BR and our main game to make you feel like you’re more than happy to pay for it. Only then will we charge for it.”
I sort of wish they had come to this realization without players first raising a ruckus about it, however.
Thanks, Gameranx.