“Facebook is a mass market opportunity, a mass market play. “All of our partners are very serious about a new way to do esports and bring it to the masses,” H1Z1 General Manager Anthony Castoro told Digital Trends.
The inaugural season of the H1Z1 pro league, the first esports league to focus on the battle royale genre, starts on April 21. Daybreak has also signed 15 teams to compete. The developer is partnering with Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas to provide the venue for the league, and with Facebook to broadcast games. Along with the decision to go free-to-play, Daybreak announced new additions to its H1Z1 pro league, which it first laid out back in October. H1Z1 is looking to differentiate itself through a focus on competitive play and esports. Other games, like The Darwin Project and SOS, are finding their own niches in the battle royale formula - which sees players trying to survive to be the last standing in Hunger Games-like multiplayer battles. That move comes as the battle royale space continues to become more crowded, with titles like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite drawing huge numbers of players.
Fitbit Versa 3ĭeveloper Daybreak Games is looking to make some esports moves in the battle royale genre, starting by making its multiplayer survival title H1Z1 free-to-play.ĭaybreak’s new monetization model for H1Z1 goes into effect immediately, the company announced on Thursday, March 8.
