'H1Z1' Early Access Release Date Confirmed: Zombie Survival Game Coming In January

Zombie survival game “H1Z1” just got a Steam Early Access date -- and just a little over a month away. Sony Online Entertainment’s game will reach players on Jan. 15 of next year.

“Once we saw what we could have had earlier, it wasn't good enough, and we wanted to put something out that we would be proud of,” John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, said on “H1Z1’s” Reddit page on Monday evening. “What you'll be playing January 15th is a really fun game, but it's early. It's everything Early Access should be -- a fun and compelling game that isn't finished. Our goal is to have you help us finish it and have it be a game we can build a large community in over time.”

Players have been waiting for the game since its announcement in April, and Sony confirmed there will be two different versions of “H1Z1” available, a basic early access game for $19.99, and a “more expensive one” that they will announce “shortly.”

“Is it going to be a finished game? Absolutely not. If that's what you're expecting, do not buy early access,” Smedley added. “The goal here is to let you in early and help us mold it into a game you want to be a part of for quite a long time.”

“H1Z1” is currently around 64,000 square kilometers, but Sony promises to grow the game quickly. Smedley also addressed questions about how the game will measure up to Bohemia Interactive’s zombie survival game “DayZ.”

“We're not as feature-rich, and they have a lot of really cool stuff we just don't have yet. That being said, we're also a different game,” Smedley said. “We're an MMO, and our goals are to create a large-scale world that gives you the incredible feeling of being a survivor in a zombie apocalypse.”

Will you purchase “H1Z1” when it reaches Early Access? Leave a comment below.