DayZ's Full Release Scheduled for 2016

The "full release version" of open-world zombie game DayZ will launch in the first half of 2016, publisher Bohemia Interactive announced today. The game has been in open development for about a year now, as the game's alpha was released through Steam Early Access in December 2013.

When the completed version of DayZ is finally released, it will cost $50. Currently, the Early Access version sells for $35.

Despite DayZ not being a finished game, it has already sold more than 2 million copies. Producer Brian Hicks said this is well beyond what he could have imagined.

"2014 has been an immensely successful year for DayZ," he said in a statement. "We could have never hoped for so many people to join us for the adventure of Early Access development."

Bohemia has also published a development roadmap for the content it hopes to add to DayZ between now and release in 2016. This includes things like vehicles, diseases, a stealth system, dynamic events, traps, and animal companions.

The DayZ roadmap also shows that the previously announced console version of the game is not coming anytime soon. According to the roadmap, Bohemia will have a prototype of the console edition ready for the third quarter of 2015, with an official release sometime after.

At the beginning of 2014, DayZ's creator, Dean "Rocket" Hall, announced plans to leave Bohemia by the end of the year.

Q1 2015:

• Basic vehicles
• Advanced loot distribution
• New renderer
• New Zombie AI
• Basic stealth system (zombies and animals)
• Diseases

Q2 2015:

• Advanced vehicles (repair and modifications)
• Advanced animals (life cycle, group behavior)
• Player statistics
• New UI
• Player stamina
• Dynamic events

Q3 2015:

• Traps
• Barricading
• Character life span + soft skills
• Animal predators + birds
• Aerial transport
• Console prototype

Q4 2015:

• Animal companions
• Steam community integration
• Construction (base building)