There was a time when players assumed that Bohemia Interactive’s post-apocalyptic survival title DayZ would remain in Steam’s Early Access in perpetuity. After all, this is a game that has flirted with release since 2012, after creator Dean Hall stated that an early, standalone build would be available to play by the year’s end — however, it wasn’t until December 2013 that the zombie-infested mod arrived.
Now, though, it appears as though the game is beginning to make some real, tangible headway, after the studio confirmed that a playable beta has been scheduled for late 2015, while the full and final build will make its debut in 2016. The beta will be available for $43.99 — which is slightly higher than the current price of $29.99 — and Bohemia confirmed that the asking price for DayZ will gradually increase in price as the title inches ever closer to release.
This is part of a gradual price change as we progress with the development, and reach the goals that we set for the project. We would like to avoid a sudden increase in price once we hit the final release version.
DayZ started life as a mod for 2009’s tactical shooter Arma 2, and shares much of the game’s core mechanics. With a heavy emphasis on survival that is as challenging as it is realistic — players must keep an eye on hunger and thirst levels in the arid wasteland, among other things — the title quickly drew praise from the community and found a passionate audience for itself on Valve’s Steam client.
And Bohemia Interactive is keen to reward this patience by implementing new features throughout the course of next year. Chief among those is the console prototype, which has been pegged for Q3 2015, after Hall confirmed a PlayStation 4 version was in the works at this year’s Gamescom event.
DayZ is slowly making the transition from alpha testing to beta, and we can expect it to be released in the latter stage towards the end of 2015. For more on the game, here’s a comprehensive breakdown on what the studio plan to introduce throughout the four quarters of 2015:
Q1 2015
- Basic vehicles
- Advanced loot distribution
- New renderer
- New Zombie AI
- Basic stealth system (zombies and animals)
- Diseases
Q2 2015
- Advanced vehicles (repair and modifications)
- Advanced animals (life cycle, group behavior)
- Player statistics
- New UI
- Player stamina
- Dynamic events
Q3 2015
- Traps
- Barricading
- Character life span + soft skills
- Animal predators + birds
- Aerial transport
- Console prototype
Q4 2015
- Animal companions
- Steam community integration
- Construction (base building)
- BETA version, expected price 34,99 EUR / 43,99 USD