The Standalone version of DayZ is on track for an April release, according to creator Dean “Rocket” Hall.
“Yes, I think so, but anything could happen and usually does,” he answered in a recent AMA on Reddit in response to questions from fans wondering whether or not the standalone version would release before April. Hall added, “we’ll know more when the results of the tech test are out. Any dates before then would be pure speculation, and my last speculation didn’t work out so good,” referring to a recent delay announcement for DayZ Standalone.
The tech test, which was originally stated to be released imminently, still has no solid release schedule, but Hall did mention that the team is “down to the last few things to fix before the first test servers pop online and we run the first full servers. Slowly we’ll hand out the first keys and get a few servers running. Then we will reassess. It could go really well and we open up quickly, or it could go badly.”
He urges fans to keeps hopes at a modest level during the testing period, saying fans shouldn’t “expect the tech test to be fun, or very pretty. It’s a tech test, any game design that makes it into that will be a bonus.”
Hall was also asked how long the test would stay invite-only, before opening up to the public. He simply responded, “as long as it takes to smooth out the architectural issues.”
On the subject of sequels, Hall revealed that a DayZ sequel would be of interest to him, provided it was done right: “…sequels are really just a numbers game. If the idea is still fresh, I hope the harsh approach of DayZ spawns a sequel, so long as that sequel tried something new and fresh (but with the same flavor) on, say, the PS4 and/or the Steambox. I mean, why not? But I’m not sure how involved I would be with that.”
When asked, Hall also provided his own insight in regards to The War Z’s very shaky and extremely controversial “foundation” launch on Valve’s Steam store, writing, “I am angry about The War Z. I’m very angry.” He continued, “I’m quite hurt personally because anyone can see how similar the words are, and while the average gamer knows the difference individual people don’t. I’ve had family members/close friends mistake the difference and confront me about what they believed was unethical behavior they thought I was making. I really don’t think anyone can understand just quite how exasperated that can make you feel when you’ve gambled everything on something, put your whole self and reputation on the line. So it hasn’t made my life very pleasant and I disagree entirely with the conduct and how consumers have been treated.”
On a more positive note, Hall mentions that fans can expect some “unannounced surprises” for “the next 12 months at least, probably beyond that,” when DayZ Standalone launches later this year.