Development of H1Z1 for PS4 and Xbox One has been halted in order to allow developer Daybreak Studios extra resources to focus on finishing the game on PC. As a result, the console version of H1Z1 has been delayed and will not resume development until H1Z1 has left Early Access on PC.
H1Z1: King of the Hill had been due to leave Early Access on PC and launch fully on all three platforms this summer, but ultimately it failed to be ready in time as a result of the team being spread too thinly while they also simultaneously tried to get the game to work on consoles.
Speaking on the H1Z1 website, the developer stated, “We were spread too thin trying to fix areas of the game while simultaneously getting the game to work on the console hardware. It became clear that to best line up the game for success was to reduce the number of variables in the equation.
“As a result, I have decided to pause our efforts on the console versions and put 100% of the focus onto the PC version of the game for right now”, explained the developer. “It was definitely a tough decision, but I think it was the right one to make. We have been able to make essential updates to the gunplay, combat, and vehicles, get the new map in a state to go live, and add lots of polish to the core areas of the game. “
The game is set to leave Early Access on September 20th, at which point development of the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be picked up again. However, a new release date or release window has not been announced for the console version of H1Z1.
The developer concluded “What does that mean for an Xbox One and PS4 launch? As soon as we ship the full PC experience out of Early Access, we will turn our focus back to converting that same experience to run on the consoles.”
Source: *h1z1.com