H1Z1 Is Getting Female Avatars

Daybreak Game Company had mentioned previously that they would add females to H1Z1. They wanted to get the basic gameplay mechanics fixed, stomp out some of the bugs and make sure that the core items and customization systems were set up first. Well, now the time has come for them to add in the female avatars.

Polygon spotted a tweet from Daybreak Game Company's president John Smedley, who stated the following on Twitter.

Some gamers had asked about this feature a while back before the game even entered into Early Access on Steam. At the time they were working on the male base model and setting up the templates. However, character art director Matt Broome assured gamers that the female avatars would make it into H1Z1's Early Access.

Daybreak Game Company is following the same pattern as other game development studios when it comes to adding in characters and iterating the game leading up to its final release. Most studios will start with a generic male template and then focus on fixing the clipping, physics, item placement, meshes, textures, combat interactions and animations before adding in females or other customizable character types to the game.

Broome had mentioned back in August that he wanted the female avatars to be just as badass as the males. However, things sort of hit a snag when Daybreak Game Company had some layoffs following the acquisition by an investment firm. H1Z1 also had to deal with some hiccups on the design front, mostly when it came to the cash shop and some elements of the gameplay stability. Of course, that's why it's important for developers to focus on the core game before getting too far into the aesthetics. Having a cool looking character doesn't mean much if the game is broken.

On the upside, it looks like following the acquisition and getting a handle on the claims of the game being pay-to-win – claims that nearly damaged the potential of the game's success – the team is now back to having their heads down in the trenches, focusing on getting more content out there and working on expanding the H1Z1 experience.

For fans of DayZ, H1Z1 offers players an alternative, open-world survival experience. You can build your own base, team up with friends (or kill people if you want), craft items, scavenge for supplies and hunt animals. Oh, and kill lots of zombies.

H1Z1, as far as the gameplay goes, seems to be pretty solid. Daybreak Game Company has been working hard to fix the title up for its eventual full release and possible console outing. For now, you can learn more about H1Z1 by paying a visit to the game's official website.