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H1Z1 is a new post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game from Sony Online Entertainment, SOE president John Smedley told Game Talk Live. The game will be playable "soon," Smedley wrote on Twitter.
Smedley revealed the game in an upcoming episode of the Game Talk Live podcast that's set to go live today at 8 p.m. ET. The publication's video interview will include a few minutes of early gameplay.
"H1Z1 is an MMO that allows players to take on the role of an apocalypse survivor who is in a world that is filled with zombies," Smedley told Game talk Live. "A world! Not just a little tiny server."
Game Talk Live got a preview of the game in Smedley's office earlier this year, when zombie sounds weren't in the game and only one type of zombie existed.
In response to a question about whether we'd see more at the annual SOE Live event, following tonight's unveiling, Smedley wrote on Twitter that "you can play it yourself soon. and by play I mean play fully."
As he watched Smedley play H1Z1, podcast co-host Todd Roy noted that it's "scary." According to Smedley, there's a purpose behind that.
"That's the point," Smedley said. "When you see a zombie coming up to you with nothing out but a highway flare. But here is something your gonna be able to do that you can't do in these other games: Light things on fire. We are in the middle of putting that in so you are gonna be able to burn down trees, burn down stuff, and that's gonna be a lot of fun. The idea is that these players [are] building these forts and all of the sudden these other guys coming in lighting it on fire and waiting till they come out of the fortress ... is awesome."
A day and night cycle will also affect H1Z1, whose name brings to mind the real-life H1N1 swine flu virus.
"Oh God yeah," Smedley said when asked about day and night, "but in this game it matters a lot more than in others because it gets really dark at night and you need to have a torch and you will be ganked by other players, zombies. So we [have] vehicles in here. We can actually have aircraft if we want. Our goal is to build out this entire massive massive world that is this apocalypse of the United States."
SOE recently published a teaser site for the upcoming game, which featured only eerie background music, a full moon and foggy night landscape.
Make sure to check out Game Talk Live's podcast and interview with Smedley tonight at 8 p.m. ET. It will feature more details about the game, with Smedley at the helm playing an early build.
Polygon
