'H1Z1' Player Base Drops 91 Percent Because Of PUBG And Fortnite
"H1Z1" has seen its player count drop by a staggering 91 percent leading many to question its viability as an eSport. The drop has been attributed to the entry of similar titles such as "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" and "Fortnite" which have been siphoning players since July 2017.
There's no question that the game has popularized the battle royale genre but being a pioneer does not guarantee continued success. The Daybreak Game Company is learning this the hard way judging from the latest data from Steam Charts.
It was the third most-played title on Steam during its heyday, peaking at 150,000 players with an average of 86,000 people playing per hour. Now, however, it peaked at 8,523 concurrent players and is floating around 63rd place on the platform.
There are many factors that contributed to this and the explosion of the battle royal genre, despite being the main cause, is just one. Another reason is that "H1Z1" still hasn't made the transition to free-to-play that Daybreak first promised back in 2015.
The game also failed to make its way on consoles unlike "PUBG" which released a version for the Xbox One prior to leaving Steam Early Access. The development team also still hasn't released a firm date when it will leave Early Access.
The significant drop in players has also led many to question the title's viability as an eSport. Daybreak is currently in partnership with record keeping organization Twin Galaxies to create the "H1Z1" Pro League, a 20-week, NASCAR-style tournament.
The league is set to reveal its slate of 15 teams in the first quarter of 2018, with matches kicking off in the spring. However, the game's current state cast serious doubts about its future. Daybreak has yet to release a statement regarding the decreasing player base of its flagship title.
