The battle royale genre is pretty cutthroat right now, and not everyone is guaranteed to see success (especially if it’s through efforts like Radical Heights or The Culling 2). Nevertheless, Hi-Rez’s Realm Royale is coming to consoles, and Daybreak’s H1Z1, which had a less than enthusiastic launch on PC, has received new life on PS4.

The developer recently announced that H1Z1 is now out of open beta and officially available for the console as a free to play title. Along with various bundles and Battle Passes, a new vehicle has also been added with the recent launch update.

H1Z1 producer Terrence Yee issued a statement on the launch, noting that, “Everyone here at Daybreak Games is thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response to H1Z1’s debut on PS4. 10 million new players in our first month in open beta is an incredible milestone, and our entire development team has worked tirelessly to build on that early success. We’re beyond excited to officially launch H1Z1 on PS4—this is our fully realized vision for battle royale on console.”

Though a free Battle Pass option is available, there is a Premium Battle Pass available as well. The former costs $5.50 but if you also have PlayStation Plus, then you’ll receive level progression transfer across tiers. The Deluxe Bundle is also available and comes with the Viper Starter Bundle ($5) and Hardline Launch Bundle ($35) along with the Premium Battle Pass.

In the old times, before players were building forts or dining on hard earned Chicken Dinners, there was H1Z1. That title hasn’t disappeared so much as it has just kept on going outside of the spotlight, with H1Z1: Battle Royale set to leave open beta and launch properly on PS4 on August 7th.

Confirmed by Daybreak Game Company through PlayStation Blog, the official launch will bring with it several new weapons, a vehicle and some starter bundles to celebrate the proper release. The RPG and SOCOM Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle will become usable in the game, with the RPG acting as an anti-vehicle weapon and the SOCOM fitting into the middle of the pack between the Scout rifle and the now buffed to always headshot – even through a helmet – M40 Sniper. Finally, the ARV is a five man personnel carrier allowing your squad to roam the map in safety and style.

If you’re interested in jumping in, you can get a boost with the Viper Starter Bundle at $4.99 or the Hardline Bundle at $34.99, granting players early access to some weaponry and armour. I’m sure you’ll just completely drop Fortnite and switch over, won’t you? I mean, the beta attracted decent numbers. Let us know in the comments.

H1Z1 had entered open beta for the PS4 back in May and it had around 4.5 million players at the end of that month. Now, the game has surpassed 10 million players on the console and an infographic has been released which provides statistics about all sorts of things related to the game. Also, the game is getting a new update today which will bring along some changes.

Over 11,676 years of gaming has been spent on the game in total so far. There have been 167 million kills so far with over 16 million headhshots! The most kills have been performed with the Riot Shotgun and Hellfire weapons, both are tied at 25% each. As for throwables, the Frag Grenade is responsible for 48% of the kills. Players who downloaded the game on PS4 before June 27 will receive a Sunrise Parachute in-game skin and a Darkfire Pickup Truck for free.

The new update for the game adds the Revive mechanic which will allow players to revive teammates in Duos and Fives. Other changes include a new weapon, the Airstrike Signal Weapon. H1Z1 is currently available for the PC and the open beta is ongoing for the PS4.

Days after Daybreak Games announced that the open beta for H1Z1 on PlayStation 4 crossed one million players, it’s now celebrating another milestone. On May 26th, the studio confirmed that its Battle Royale-style title had seen more than 4.5 million players on PS4.

To thank players, Daybreak has provided Blue Barbed Hellfire 4-6 in players’ inventories. Furthermore, Duos is now available for players with the most recent patch (along with different fixes).

H1Z1 recently left Steam Early Access, having started out as a zombie survival title before being split off into Just Survive and King of the Kill. The latter would be renamed to H1Z1 and launch as a Battle Royale title with the vehicle-heavy mode Auto Royale.

Suffice to say, there wasn’t much enthusiasm on Steam and H1Z1 went free to play shortly after. It did very little to help and the company suffered lay-offs in the meantime. However, it appears that the reception to the PS4 open beta has been strong. Can Daybreak continue with this momentum? We’ll find out in the coming months.

[PS4 Open Beta] As a THANK YOU to all 4.5 million+ of you who have joined us since Open Beta launch, we've dropped the Blue Barbed Hellfire 4-6 right into your inventory!

PLUS, Duos is now unlocked with a brand new patch – see the latest fixes here: https://t.co/ZC3AuC94uU pic.twitter.com/G3iLFmX1AZ

— H1Z1 (@H1Z1) May 26, 2018

Daybreak Games may be suffering lately with lay-offs and whatnot but its free to play Battle Royale title H1Z1 isn’t doing too badly on PS4. Following the launch of the open beta on console, the developer revealed that it had been downloaded by over 1.5 million PS4 players in 24 hours.

Though the open beta is free, there have been numerous issues. From server stability to purchase problems with cosmetics, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Even with all these issues and other bugs in-game, it’s good to see H1Z1 getting some recognition. Daybreak said that it was aware of recent issues and was actively working to resolve them.

H1Z1 has Solo and Squad options currently, the latter placing you in a team of five players. More information on Duos should be coming soon as well. Though H1Z1 hasn’t had the best launch on PC since leaving Steam Early Access, perhaps the PS4 version could instill some new life.

Daybreak Game Company, known for developing and publishing H1Z1, has suffered from a number of layoffs recently. The company revealed in an email to PC Gamer that it was “realigning” its work force to “better position” the developer for the future. To that end, it had to layoff a number of its employees across numerous disciplines in the studio.

“Daybreak confirms we are realigning our workforce to better position our company for the future. Because of this, we have had to make an extremely difficult decision to part ways with some of our employees across various disciplines at the studio. We are doing everything we can to take care of each affected individual by providing them appropriate transition assistance.”

The company isn’t in trouble just yet. It will continue to develop “large-scale” online games while supporting its existing franchises. “Daybreak remains focused on publishing and developing large-scale online games and will continue to service our existing and long-standing games and franchises.”

One such individual who was laid off recently was chief publishing officer Laura Naviaux Sturr, who confirmed the news on Twitter on April 25th. You can check out her tweet below in which she teases “new beginning” with the appropriate hashtag.

Daybreak has been in a rather tough spot recently following the release of H1Z1. Originally exiting Steam Early Access for a price, the survival title then transitioned into a free to play format one week later. Daybreak also started the H1Z1 Pro League that premiered just last weekend.

Perhaps the game met with a lacklustre response and has been struggling to make ends meet? H1Z1 is still in development for PlayStation 4 and slated to release on May 22nd so we’ll see if things improve over at Daybreak.

Moving on! The next adventure awaits…I’ll drop some info soon. #newbeginnings #staygaming

— laura naviaux sturr (@navsturr) April 25, 2018

PUBG and Fortnite may rule the roost now, but the original battle royale game, the progenitor of the genre that stated it all, was H1Z1: King of the Hill. Developed by Daybreak Entertainment (formerly Sony Online Entertainment), the game was announced to be coming to the PS4 long ago. Now, it has been confirmed it will be coming to the console again, with an open beta for the game commencing on May 22, so everyone can check it out.

The PS4 port will include console-optimized controls, all the content for the PC version so far, unique in game cosmetic items, and will run at 60 frames per second on PS4 Pro- all of which is awesome. You can check out  trailer for the PS4 version of the game for yourself below.

H1Z1 is a free to play game, and you can already get it on the PC via Steam right now, in case you don’t want to wait for the PS4 version.

My idea is “current trend that’s hot and spawning tons of imitators”. I know, I know, you’re probably skeptical. “What is it about your idea that’s so unique?” Well, it’s better than that other game and it’ll definitely be the best thing ever. You just have to stick with me on this journey and great things will happen. Oh and I’ll definitely be offering constant communication, clearly thought-out design choices and anti-cheater practices. You can’t go wrong.

"Id Software released Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 and then Doom in 1993. Suddenly, the world wanted first person shooters; the industry thought they wanted even more violence in said shooters."

This might sound familiar to many of you (heck, it might even be an analogy for this article’s flow). However, it’s a trend that’s been observed time and time again. Id Software released Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 and then Doom in 1993. Suddenly, the world wanted first person shooters; the industry thought they wanted more violence in said shooters. Hence, we had Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Heretic, Hexen, Shadow Warrior, Kiss: Psycho Circus and Unreal.

Titles like System Shock 2 and eventually Half-Life were attempting to do something different and succeeded in spades. System Shock 2 felt like a more natural evolution of Ultima Underworld, bringing the first person shooter/RPG hybrid to a better form. While id Software cranked out Quake and was preparing to “revolutionize” multiplayer FPS gaming with Quake 3, Valve delivered Half-Life.

Complete tonal shift. Now, everyone wanted to be the next Half-Life. Developers implemented in-game sequences that played out like cutscenes. “Story” was the defining feature of a good first person shooter. It’s worth noting the small sidetrack which Half-Life spawned which went on to become bigger than the base game. When Quake 3: Arena and Unreal Tournament were duking it out, the latter completely dumping on the former, it was Counter-Strike that ultimately won gamers’ hearts and minds.

You guessed it. Now everyone was trying to be the next tactical first person shooter with realistic weapons, objective play and Terrorists vs. Counter-Terrorists. It’s to Counter-Strike’s credit that all these years later, it’s still one of the most popular multiplayer shooters in the world.

"Even if these games didn’t invent their key gameplay mechanics, they presented them in an appealing, unquestionably fun format that attracted millions."

In another gaming sphere, Blizzard helped facilitate an intriguing, hero-based version of real-time strategy for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. It was designed using the game’s World Editor by a few people, namely IceFrog (who would become important way later) who called it Defense of the Ancients. Riot Games saw this and decided to make their own version of the formula, dubbing it League of Legends. It was a free to play multiplayer online battle arena that combined strategy with heroes, RPG-leveling, build diversity and team play. While it brought about a new age of strategic gameplay, it was Valve that purchased the rights to Dota to create a standalone sequel – the titanic Dota 2. A massive esports scene and millions of lives were changed forever, including IceFrog’s as he continues to work on and maintain the game.

What happened next? Why, everyone started adopting this MOBA format. From Guardians of Middle-Earth to Awesomenauts to Battleborn, and Gigantic to Heroes of the Storm, everyone was trying to get in on the MOBA train.

Before I go on to look at other games which took the world by storm with their concepts, it’s important to note a few things. Firstly, even if these games didn’t invent their key gameplay mechanics, they presented them in an appealing, unquestionably fun way that attracted millions. Secondly, while there have been games that pretty much created new genres, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of imitators that have failed.

Though Team Fortress 2 really introduced the mainstream to the concept, it wasn’t quite the massive global phenomenon that Dota 2 would become (it’s still very popular though). The same goes for Monday Night Combat and Global Agenda. However, when Blizzard’s Overwatch released, hero shooters were suddenly the “in thing”. Battleborn, a MOBA/FPS hybrid, was an unfortunate victim to it.

"Even with PUBG’s success though, there was a growing wave of discontent. Perhaps it was because developer Bluehole, now PUBG Corp, couldn’t address issues fast enough."

Paladins is still considered an Overwatch clone despite the developer working on Global Agenda several years prior. In this case, though the hero shooter as a concept isn’t new, Overwatch is considered the de facto hero shooter to play. Even when games weren’t trying to blatantly ape Overwatch, there was a sense of introducing character abilities and personalities with a focus on objective play just like it. Blizzard has capitalized on this even further by cementing Overwatch as the competitive hero shooter with the Overwatch League attracting millions of viewers.

Which brings us to Last Man Standing aka Battle Royale genre. Last Man Standing has been a bog standard game mode for a long time. However, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds took the concept, added 100 players across a giant map and emphasized quicker action over slow-paced survival. The game exploded in popularity, selling tens of millions of units within the first several months of Early Access. Obviously, several developers were already getting in on the craze. Counter-Strike is rumoured to be receiving a Battle Royale mode, Paladins introduced its own Battlegrounds mode for release later this year and even Electronic Arts expressed an interest in the format.

Even with PUBG’s success though, there was a growing wave of discontent. Perhaps it was because developer Bluehole, now PUBG Corp, couldn’t address issues fast enough. Maybe it was because certain basic aspects for a multiplayer shooter like kill cams, replays, anti-cheat functions and whatnot were straight up missing. By the time PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds finally released in its version 1.0 state, it looked more like a victim of hype with each passing week.

Of course, that’s also because Fortnite: Battle Royale was a thing. Here was a game that performed well – with a few bugs here and there – while introducing a few novel additions to an existing concept. Fortnite: Battle Royale’s take on building, shooting, loot hunting and wacky limited time modes – coupled with a development team that responded quickly to feedback – became monstrously popular. Yes, the game is free to play but 40 million downloads with a peak concurrent player count of 3.4 million is nothing to scoff at. In fact, it’s already beaten PUBG’s record while its competitor is on the decline in peak player counts.

"Because there’s a third factor when certain games become trendsetters and spawn imitators – that there will be an off-shoot which creates an entirely new direction and players will flock to it."

What’s interesting with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is that this decline wasn’t sudden. You could argue that it’s been happening since Fortnite: Battle Royale first launched or that it’s the result of months and months of complaints finally boiling over. Either way, it’s perplexing because the usual imitators are on the backfoot.

However, I don’t believe that every time a successful game launches, its imitators are immediately doomed. Because there’s a third factor when certain games become trendsetters and spawn imitators – that there will be an off-shoot which creates an entirely new direction and players will flock to it.

Take a look at Rust. Though it was pretty much the standard for survival titles, its competitors like H1Z1, 7 Days to Die and DayZ have more or less floundered. However, it was also thanks to the Battle Royale mod in Arma 2’s DayZ that the modern foundation for the genre was formed. Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene was responsible for this mode and subsequently moved on to Arma 3. It wouldn’t be long before Daybreak Games (Sony Online Entertainment at the time) brought Greene on to consult for H1Z1’s King of the Kill mode. Greene would go on to refine the Battle Royale genre, creating an alternative to the traditional survival formula seen in games like Rust. If PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the grand result of his vision, then Epic Games went about creating a more arcade-like experience with Fortnite: Battle Royale.

Such offshoots of genres happen all the time. The popularity of Warcraft 3’s Defense of the Ancients spurred the development of League of Legends and Dota 2. Though there were a number of imitators, some one saw the potential of having heroes in other genres like shooters. In good time – and with the right marketing and polish – Blizzard would deliver on that premise with Overwatch.

"The over-arching point isn’t a simple one that can just be boiled down to “X game creates new concept, spurs imitators but also helps create Y game. Y game then has its own concept, spurs imitators, repeat”."

Another good example is Blizzard’s Diablo franchise. What started as an evolution, a more loot-oriented version of NetHack, would become the default action RPG for a generation of gamers. Several Diablo clones were released and many would flounder while Blizzard experienced greater highs with Diablo 2. However, along the way, Gearbox Software had the bright idea of incorporating loot mechanics into a first person shooter. Thus, Borderlands was born. Then you had Grinding Gear Games which looked at the concept of Diablo 3 (pre-Reaper of Souls) and decided to incorporate a more Diablo 2-style of progression, character customization and aesthetic design in the free to play space. In a way, the genre has gone in a circle.

However, some one at Bungie probably saw the concept that Borderlands (and World of Warcraft to some extent) offered and decided to add shared world aspects to a looter shooter. The massive success of Destiny would spur Ubisoft to create its own shared world shooter in The Division, which ironically has migrated more to a Diablo 3-style loot grind. And it would be naïve to assume that the development of EA’s Anthem wasn’t spurred by the desire to cash in on Destiny’s demographic.

Of course, once again, you had someone who looked at the Diablo 3 grind and decided to go in a completely different direction. That would be Digital Extremes’ Warframe, which offered a free to play, third person action RPG experience with traversal mechanics, loot grinding (but on a longer term basis with regards to crafting and farming) and trading. Suffice to say that the success of Warframe defies any conventional route that publishers have taken with their shared world titles. Everyone is pretty much wondering how to replicate Warframe’s success but within a $60 package. Anthem might go in that direction if the power armour gameplay is anything to go by. Heck, even Destiny 2 might try for a more robust mods system in order to cater to player power fantasy.

"So while it may seem like the Battle Royale “bubble” has burst before it really got going, it’s a lot more complicated than that."

The over-arching point isn’t a simple one that can just be boiled down to “X game creates new concept, spurs imitators but also helps create Y game. Y game then has its own concept, spurs imitators, repeat”. However, in this age of players scoffing at reskins, the “copying” of mechanics in other games and similar titles competing for the same space, it’s interesting to see developers take concepts and iterate on them in such interesting ways.

These can often lead to new trends or entirely new styles of gameplay and thus the cycle repeats. It’s not a guaranteed tactic that always works – we doubt H1Z1’s recent Auto Royale mode is going to spark the next gaming revolution (especially if it has gone free to play) – but it is evidence that not everything is happening in a vacuum. Not every innovative new title is being released out of the blue – it could be the work of years, if not decades, of iteration, improvement and optimization by several developers.

While it may seem like the Battle Royale “bubble” has burst before it really got going, it’s a lot more complicated than that. If we’re talking about the success of Battle Royale titles and how many more will be created as a result, thus leading to more saturation in the market, then a bubble could be said to be forming. It’s too early to determine such at this point but again, the trend could lead to something else. The gaming industry may seem fairly stagnant at times, recycling ideas and just chugging along while the original innovator continues to make it big. But every new title offers its own little iteration until that one game comes along that changes it all. It just may not be immediately obvious at first.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to GamingBolt as an organization.

H1Z1 is – or was – quite the paradox for Daybreak Game Company. It started out as a single zombie survival title before splitting into two games, Just Survive and King of the Kill. After finally emerging from Early Access, the developer has now announced that H1Z1, along with its free vehicle-based Battle Royale mode “Auto Royale” will be free to play. The change is going into effect today at 10 AM PST.

It’s an interesting move to say the least but somewhat expected. Even PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds commanding the player base that it does isn’t enough to unseat free to play titles like Fortnite: Battle Royale. With H1Z1 spent so much time in Early Access, this is probably the best way to garner attention, encouraging more players to try it out and probably staying to invest some money long-term.

We’re not sure what this means for the players who already bought the game but there are probably a few special benefits set aside for them. What are your thoughts on H1Z1 going free to play? Let us know in the comments.

The zombie survival MMO H1Z1 is all set to launch as not one, but two separate games– a multiplayer shooter, H1Z1: King of The Kill, which is slated for PC via Steam Early Access, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; and an open world zombie survival game, H1Z1: Just Survive, which will launch on Steam Early Access only.

Today, Daybreak shared new trailers for both of these games, which you can see for yourself below. Personally, King of the Hill holds absolutely no allure for me- multiplayer shooters are dime a dozen. Just Survive seems to be more along the lines of what H1Z1 was originally going to be, so that’s the one that has piqued my interest.

H1Z1: King of the Hill is set to launch this Summer; Just Survive doesn’t have a final release date yet. You can see both the trailers for yourself below. Let us know what you think in the comments section.