With the Battle Royale franchises making it big in the video game industry in the recent industry with PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS’ ascension to the throne of “Most Played” games on Steam, many developers have been trying to find ways of implementing similar mechanics in their games. Competitor H1Z1 was the first Battle Royale, but could not manage to stay relevant in the market for long. Today marks a historical day for H1Z1 and for Battle Royale lovers – H1Z1 officially goes free-to-play.
To thank all of the players who helped make awesome, game-changing decisions during Early Access, developer Daybreak will be rewarding everyone who already purchased the game with the “H1Z1 Appreciation Pack”, containing the following items:
- Gasrunner Hoodie
- Bloom Survivor T-Shirt
- Splinter Camo ARV
- 10 Victory Crates
- 10,000 Skulls
The game will also have Bronze, Silver, and Limited Edition Gold Battle Royale packs for the Free To Play Launch. H1Z1 is best played with friends, and there has never been a better time to bring them in, especially as a group of four in Auto Royale!
If you’re one of the unfortunate few who purchased H1Z1, then you will be liable for a refund, though Daybreak did not mention whether all players who purchased the game will be liable for a refund or not. This has sparked quite some community ire, with all buyers demanding a refund irrespective of their hours in the game.
The game already had a tanking number of players, and going free-to-play was the only option left for Daybreak to make the game a relevant competitor for PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS and Fortnite Battle Royale, two of the games leading the battle royale genre.