Arktos Entertainment Group and Hammerpoint Interactive, a new independent game developer, has announced their debut title, The War Z. As a session-based, massively multiplayer online game (MMO), players are set in a post-apocalyptic world where other players prove to be a greater threat than the walking dead.

“The whole team is completely obsessed with the zombie culture as well as with post-apocalyptic games like Fallout,” said Eric Nordin, senior game designer for The War Z. “Since we started the design of the game, we have continued to incorporate new features that inspire us as we go.  At the end of the day we want to ship a game that we want to play ourselves and we’re hoping that other gamers will recognize our passion and be excited about playing as well!”

Players are immersed into a post-apocalyptic environment five years after a viral outbreak ravaged the human population. In its wake left a world filled with horrifying elements. Cities are infested with hordes of zombies, and the few remaining survivors have become worse than the dead. They survive at any cost, renouncing laws , and stopping anyone who stands in their way of surviving this nightmare. Skill and stealth will be key for players to obtain food, ammunition, and other supplies for survival. While navigating the world, players will stumble across not just the undead, but also other players that may or may not be friendly.

The War Z allows players to earn experience points and use those points to purchase skill sets that will upgrade their character to survive better in the zombie infested world. There will also be opportunities to acquire in-game cash and gold to purchase supplies at the very few safe-settlements in the game. Players can join servers as a group or team up with their friends.

Features to be included in The War Z:

  • Two modes of play: Normal (downed characters can be revived after “cool down” period) and Hardcore (death will be permanent)
  • First and third person perspectives
  • Huge maps ranging between 200 and 400 square kilometers
  • Meld of PvE (player versus environment) and PvP (player versus player) gameplay
  • Unique social elements, including bounties, rewards, help requests, trap setting, etc.
  • Safe Settlements: safe cities within the world where players can purchase, sell and store items as well as post notes for other players
  • Single purchase, downloadable client with ability to play full game without subscriptions or requiring in-game transactions
  • Full developer support with regularly scheduled, free content updates
  • Dedicated public servers as well as private servers that can be completely self-managed in game client

“Hammerpoint Interactive is exactly the kind of developer we look to partner with,” said Sergey Titov, CEO, Arktos Entertainment Group. “They came to us with an innovative game design that fit our investment strategy and we’re excited to be backing this project.”

The War Z is set for release in Fall 2012 for Windows PC.

By Billy Peitz

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