Zombie survival game "DayZ" seems to be following suit with "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (PUBG), as the former has now announced that it is nearing completion and will be an official beta release next year.

Czech developer Bohemia has recently proclaimed, that in addition to the beta release, the game will also be coming to Xbox One next year. The developers were also adamant about this decision and have even explained to its players that it has learned a lot from its past scheduling mistakes. This was because "DayZ" has spent the last four years in Steam's early access category with some players even believing that the game might never see a full release.

Due to the big plans of Bohemia next year, they have also stated in their year-end report for "DayZ" that there will be no more big updates for the early access version of the game. They did, however, not mention when they plan a full release for the game, and it might take a long while again before that happens.

Still, the developers were enthusiastic about the beta version of the game, as it will be introducing a lot of new things, such as new zombie types, new weapons and gear, new combat systems with evasion and combos, and more importantly, new animations for the aging game engine. On the technical side of things, the developers will also be introducing better network connectivity for the game, bigger maps, and more players, since one common gripe about the game is how barren the sessions are.

Eugen Harton, the game's lead producer has promised players that things will change. "2018 is going to be an important year for us in the studio, as our long-term work finally makes its way out there. We sure take our time, but I truly believe people only remember great games, and not how long it took to make them. Thank you all for staying with us, Survivors. We're almost there - after all the excruciating wait, and all the tests of patience, there are some really good times ahead of us. In beta we trust!" the producer explained.

No exact dates have been announced, but players can expect significant changes to the game in 2018.