14 DAY TRIAL // H1Z1 is Sony’s post-apocalyptic zombie survival MMO, which was previously confirmed to arrive on Steam Early Access on January 15.
When the news came earlier last year that H1Z1 would be playable beginning 2015, fans of the genre wowed in excitement, especially that Sony added later on that it wouldn’t implement the pay-to-win model.
Instead, they confirmed that some purely cosmetic changes would be available for purchase to those wanting to stand out. Well, it looks like Sony’s H1Z1 is not far from being exactly what we’ve feared, a pay-to-win game that’s already attracted the wrath of most players.
H1Z1 is now live on Steam Early Access, and depending on your location, you can purchase it for either $19.99 or €19.99. Along with access into the alpha, those who purchase H1Z1 will also receive 3 event tickets, 2 crates and 1 key.
There is also a Premium Edition containing 25 event tickets, 3 airdrop tickets, 6 crates, 4 keys and the exclusive Aviator Hat crafting recipe. H1Z1 Premium Edition costs no less than €36.99 / $36.99.
Last year in April, Sony Online Entertainment’s John Smedley said that they planned on selling wearables, but that they “will NOT be selling Guns, Ammo, Food, Water … i.e.” because “that’s kind of the whole game and it would suck in our opinion if we did that.”
Well, it looks like the company’s view on H1Z1 monetization has changed and has since adopted the pay-to-win model, so much hated among MMO players.
Many H1Z1 players have already started to complain about the fact that those who pay for airdrops always win. Airdrops are crates that offer guns, medic aid, food, ammunition and cost around $20 (€20) each.
According to Sony, they “have made the decision to allow paid for aridrops into the game with things like guns and other things being randomly selected as part of the airdrop.”
They have also decided to make these airdrops contested in-game, which means that even if you pay for it, it shouldn’t be easy to walk about to the airdrop and grab it.
Players can now pay for guns, ammo, food and other consumables
This sounds even worse than a standard pay-to-win model and that’s something that many H1Z1 players have been bragging about on Steam. Here are a few thoughts coming from those who got into the alpha:
“DO NOT BUY THE GAME IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE DISAPPOINTED. Forget hackers, cash whales are your biggest problem with this game. Seriously, what good is it to "survive" when someone else on the server is dropping $10-20-40 into the game to gain weapons and ammo and kill everyone else?”
“Do not buy this game untill P2W method is removed. Buying crates that MAY contain weapons is a terrible system. gtfo i want a refund.”
“Pay 2 Win garbage (airdrops contain guns, ammo, backpacks and spawn right above you). Lying devs. Can't even log into my account, let alone play the game.”
“After taking everyones money they announce a 180 on buying weapons/ammo/essentials. Bait and switch fraud.”
Given the tremendous negative feedback that H1Z1 has been receiving since its launch on Steam Early Access, we believe Sony will want to make some changes to the monetization system, otherwise no one will want to play it any more. What are your thoughts on this one?
