PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently the hottest thing since sliced Jesus. The little indie game that could seemingly came out of nowhere to surpass four million sales and amass over one hundred million dollars. But its success mirrors an old, forgotten game – DayZ.

It debuted in May 2012, first as a mod, and then as a standalone game in Early Access in December 2013. Everything from the setting, the gameplay, the multiplayer, the free for all nature, and even the general aesthetics of this popular game have been lifted straight from DayZ. Even the massive hype is exactly the same. For a time, the creation of Dean “Rocket” Hall was all the rage, almost as big as Minecraft and at least as popular as PlayerUnknown is now.

In today’s video, we’re debuting an all new series: Tales from Early Access. Here, we’ll be looking at the most interesting stories surrounding games from Steam Early Access. Our first episode is all about the new forgotten DayZ, and why this one time behemoth in the industry has disappeared.

About the Author

Josh Griffiths

Josh Griffiths is a writer and amateur historian. He has a passion for 3D platformers, narrative-driven games, and books. Josh is also Cliqist’s video producer. He’s currently working on his first novel, and will be doing so on and off for the next decade.

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