Hey, look over there, it’s a PS4 version.
Dean Hall appeared during PlayStation’s Gamescom conference to announce DayZ for the PlayStation 4, which hasn’t gone down too well with some PC players. Their displeasure is understandable. Having basically funded DayZ through Steam’s Early Access program, they’re now seeing resources being potentially diverted to a console version while the PC edition remains thoroughly unfinished.
This thread on the Steam Early Access forums reflects the current mood among PC players. Comments like “fix the fucking PC version,” “the game is not even done yet” and “if this affects pc development in anyway, screw you guys, way to shit into the faces of fans who funded your project” give you a pretty good idea of how this news is being taken.
Quite what the current state of the PC version means for the DayZ PS4 plans (and vice versa) is unclear. Hall’s Sony conference presentation attempted to see off complaints before they began by claiming that improvements like 64-bit servers are, in part, thanks to the console port plans.
It remains to be seen what the development time-frame for DayZ on PS4 will look like. If it’s anything like the PC release, it won’t be appearing in a complete form any time soon. Meanwhile, the PC version remains stuck in Alpha, as it has been since Early Access release at the end of last year. It’s unlikely to reach Beta until the end of 2014 (and maybe longer, given the current pace,) at which time creator Dean Hall will be leaving the project.
Update: Hall himself has since commented, stating: “The caution is well founded. The way I see it, this is a guarantee we have to meet performance standards now. And it sees the PC leading, innovating, with he refined result trickling down to console gamers. A win win all round.”
