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The standalone version of DayZ has now sold over 800,000 copies since its Alpha release, confirms creator Dean “Rocket” Hall.
The original game, a mod for Bohemia Interactive’s Arma 2 military simulator, became an internet sensation.
Even those who didn’t play the game were moved by the stories that came out of the Zombie-stricken world of DayZ. There were tales of horror and mercy that turned the game into something of a meditation on the relationship between mortality and morality – arguably the point of Zombie mythology.
Despite these successes, there were some major issues with DayZ as it was released to the public: it was buggy, had a clunky interface, and the visuals left something to be desired. It was functional, but only just.
News the game would get a standalone version to help cure some of these ailments was greeted enthusiastically, but neither Hall or Bohemia had any idea the game would be so successful in Alpha.
“We (bohemia and I) had very ambitious plans for 2014 already, however this amount of sales was completely unexpected,” said Hall in a Redditt thread discussing the game’s success.
“Honestly, 250k within a quarter was what I would have considered a success. So to move nearly 800,000 in under a month is crazy.”
Naturally, the additional cash flow (estimated at $24,000,000 before Valve’s cut) means good things for the game’s development.
“We’ll be finalizing our roadmap in mid January, but it is safe to say that this kind of result will be having a very positive effect on that roadmap,” added Hall.
