The DayZ Standalone has been released in its alpha state for 2 months now. Its success via the Steam Early Access system has surpassed all expectations, both from Bohemia Interactive and lead developer Dean “Rocket” Hall. While it’s certainly not the fastest selling game on Steam anymore, it remains among the most played games, and is still selling exceedingly well. The total number of survivors that have joined DayZ’s world have surpassed the 1.5 million mark. Yes, it’s not a completed game, it’s still buggy beyond words, it’s still in an early alpha stage with a beta stage far on the horizon. And yet, DayZ is currently the 10th most played game on Steam, and it’s been a part of the top 10 since its release. It has so much potential that Microsoft and Sony have taken notice, and are in talks to bring DayZ to the Xbox One and Playstation 4.
Interestingly, one particular DayZ spin-off has been competing strongly with Rocket’s mod-turned-standalone, mainly Rust. Rust’s popularity and success has also skyrocketed, and while it initially began as a different take on DayZ, Rust has evolved into a different game, with different goals in mind. Even DayZ’s creator Rocket has spoken highly about Rust and Garry Newman, lead developer of Rust. What does this tell us? Well, both games have a huge fan-base, both games are in alpha, and both are among the top played games on Steam. DayZ is currently running at around 30.000 players a day, while Rust has passed the 40.000 mark, and is currently the 4th most played game on Steam, surpassed only by Valve’s own titles, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2. This situation used to be reversed, and Rust has certainly gained a lot of momentum over DayZ lately.
Sales-wise, Rust has passed the million mark too at the beginning of February, and will probably catch up to DayZ at some point. Competition means great news for fans of both games, as both developers are pushing hard to improve the game and move it past the alpha state as soon as possible. With money pouring in, they now certainly have the funds to make dreams and ideas reality. If you’re interested in what you can expect in DayZ in the coming weeks, make sure to check our DayZ update coverage.
Concluding, it’s clear that there’s great potential in Steam’s Early Access. Small indie studios can thus receive the much-needed funding to create great games, while the fans get to contribute to their evolution and enjoy every improvement. It’s also clear that open-world survival games are gaining popularity fast. Over the next few months, more and more early-access games will join Steam’s lineup, but it’s safe to assume that both DayZ and Rust are already profitable and shouldn’t be too worried about increasing competition. Which one of the two do you prefer?