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H1Z1 will be split into two games this month: King of the Kill and Just Survive

H1Z1 split

Having lived on Steam Early Access for just over a year, Daybreak Game Company have now announced their zombie survival affair H1Z1 will break off into two separate games. H1Z1: King of the Kill will be a new “high-intensity multiplayer shooter”, while H1Z1: Just Survive will be a rebranding and refocusing of what exists now. Both will pursue individual Early Access paths on February 17.

All of which means a new zombie game enters the world of survival horror. We’ve gathered our favourites on our best zombie games list.

H1Z1: King of the Kill will be made up of various multiplayer game modes, including the custom-made Battle Royale by PlayerUnknown. If you already own H1Z1 in its current Early Access state – or if you buy it prior to the official split – you’ll have access to both come February 17. Doing so will allow any cosmetic items, crates, keys and other such collectables that you’ve accrued to be transferred into the new game when it arrives.

Both games will sell for $19.99 but a full release date is as yet unknown. According to a Q&A posted on the Daybreak site, neither Just Survive or King of the Kill will become free-to-play after they leave Early Access.

In a statement today, Daybreak’s chief publishing officer Laura Naviaux explained the decision to split H1Z1 into two separate games.

“Since its release last year on Steam Early Access, we’ve had more than 2.5 million downloads of H1Z1 and rank as the number four top selling game on Steam of 2015 releases,” says Naviaux. “We launched H1Z1 as an Early Access title to allow the player community to help shape our development. Over the course of development, we discovered it had evolved into two unique gaming experiences, appealing to two distinct communities.

“Fostering lasting communities is the bedrock of our organization, and by allowing these worlds to exist independently and grow in their own distinguished ways, we can better deliver on a consistent vision and clear roadmap for each game toward official release and beyond.”

If you play H1Z1, let us know what you think of the split in the comments below.