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Dean Hall intends to leave developer Bohemia and step down as leader of his hit video game DayZ by the end of the year, Eurogamer can exclusively reveal. The game he created will be left in the hands of the team he leads today.

He will start his own studio in his home country of New Zealand, where he'll keep trying to create that elusive, perfect multiplayer game.

Much can change in a year, of course. Is Hall's mind set? "Oh, it's set. Definitely," he nodded. But he won't leave DayZ in the lurch - won't leave at a crucial time. "I would extend my involvement here as long as Bohemia wanted - needed - me," he stressed. In other words, there's flexibility.

"Originally I wasn't going to do this year, but it would be stupid not to, and it would be unfair to the community. I have to be on the project as long as it's important to. Whether that role is as the leader, whether that role is in a more creative sense... But at a certain point there will be diminishing returns.

"The thing is, if I'm involved in the project, I'll be fighting anybody on the project to make sure it's good, so for the rest of the year, I'm there. And I don't just sit around; it doesn't matter if I'm the cleaner or the leader or whatever, I will be making sure - I will be in Marek's [Spanel, CEO] office yelling at him. I'm notorious for it."

He realises, too, that he'll never walk away completely from DayZ. "I'll be always involved," he said. "I would be surprised, and Bohemia would as well - I remember talking about this with Marek... I'll always be involved with it; there's no way to escape it."

"Yes, I can see people being freaked out about it," he said, "and I saw what happened with Notch." Markus "Notch" Persson abruptly stepped down from being lead developer of Minecraft in order to take a break. "That's why it's better to just address the elephant in the room. It's also fairer for Bohemia as well, rather than for me to just turn around one day and say 'see ya'. This isn't my home. And also it's a bit different with Notch: he set up his own studio - this isn't my studio.

"I can't - and nor should I - turn around and say and say 'this is how we do it'. I don't even know how their country works, their labour laws or anything. And, you know, I miss home."

So he'll go home - home to New Zealand, to a studio of his own. Setting it up is a process that will take "years", so he'll - his people will - "start it cooking" now.

Bohemia told me this morning that it was aware of Hall's plans but chose not to comment.

Hall has three new game ideas written already, he told me, plus another two that need more work.

"A lot of them have similar DNA [to DayZ]," he said, because he's "fascinated" by multiplayer games and because he's "very interested" in survival games.

"I feel like DayZ is a fundamentally flawed concept," he went on, "and I've always recognised that. It's not the perfect game; it's not the multiplayer experience, and it never can be, [with] the absolute spark that I want in it."

The perfect multiplayer experience: "I want to chase that."

Eurogamer

 

[coolmast3r]

Good decision.

 

[Prophet Steve]

That is pretty surprising to hear. Probably will have a lot of angry fans because of the promises he made for DayZ.

On the other side I can imagine the many responses towards him about the development of DayZ were the reason he decided to step down. It seemed clear that he had gotten pretty depressed when he constantly had to apologize for the delay of the alpha.

Anyhow, I wish him the best of luck.

 

[speedpop]

He just wants to beat Robin Walker from across the Tasman.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Good luck to him I guess, although I wonder if he realises he'll never get the same level of success he's enjoyed with Bohemia and DayZ.

 

[Dmax3901]

Wow. Seems very anti climactic. Will be interesting to see how dayz progresses without him.

 

[davidsaurus]

Dean Hall to leave Bohemia and step down as leader of DayZ by the end of the year

 

[JDSN]

Good choice, I get the feeling that Bohemia keeps insisting that Arma III is their big important IP and the one they should be focusing right now, I dont think Rocket or the rest of the industry sees them eye to eye on that one. I never bought the game, all those early access comments, the warnings not to buy it, not sure how much clearer you can get without the game maker getting reprimanded by his employers who call the shots, seem unfair to put the blame on one man.

Dean Hall to leave Bohemia and step down as leader of DayZ by the end of the year

Thread tile is correct, the OP just expects people to read the first post.

 

[benny_a]

It's okay, lots of games don't get out of alpha.

Good thing nobody is out of money.

 

[red731]

Godspeed for him being creative and pursue his dreams, but this really is anti climatic.
I check his twitter everyday, read everything dayz everyday. I hope the people that will work on DayZ after his departure will stay true to his vision.

 

[genbatzu]

good thing (for him and bohemia) they published the unfinished early alpha before this announcement...and charged money for it

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

By the time he leaves, the game should be close to a beta release.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Dayz players, a question:

Did the "network bubble" he talked before alpha repeated times work in the end?

It was supposed to make the game less laggy and allow for much more zombies, as each player should receive only updates of what's near him instead of the full list of objects and zombies in all the map, but from what I heard from the Alpha, there are barely any zombies?

 

[indigo-cyclops]

good thing (for him and bohemia) they published the unfinished early alpha before this announcement...and charged money for it

Yea, this irks me a bit. But what can you do?

 

[liquidtmd]

Starts a project, glaring issues remaining and grandiose promises made at the start hillariously not met.

Has he called Molyneux to start a league of super best friends?

 

[firehawk12]

Funny that he's basically saying DayZ isn't really the game he wants to make after seeing it sell gangbusters on Steam.

 

[ultrazilla]

I guess I'll be in the minority but I'm not happy.

I bought the game under the impression and thinking that Dean Hall would see the game through to his "vision" a.k.a. completion. The fact he is stepping down when the game will only be at beta(from his and Bohemia's estimates) I'm not happy. I know he had sold the game/I.P. to Bohemia but I thought he'd finish it and not effectively leave in the middle of development.

Great job Dean! I'll make sure to avoid any future purchases from your new company or any game you "start" because you've already set the precedent you won't see it to completion.

And way to go about basically saying you have no faith in the game

"I feel like DayZ is a fundamentally flawed concept," he went on, "and I've always recognised that. It's not the perfect game; it's not the multiplayer experience, and it never can be, [with] the absolute spark that I want in it."

The perfect multiplayer experience: "I want to chase that."

Think I'll bail on the game too and uninstall it right now.

 

[HelenKeller:BlindDeafDTF]

By the time he leaves, the game should be close to a beta release.

This is the important thing to note. And it's not like he was making DayZ all by himself, people are acting as if him leaving means no more work on it.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Think I'll bail on the game too and uninstall it right now.

Lol, you play (or don't play) games based on what people say about it?

I prefer to choose for myself if they are good or not.

 

[ultrazilla]

Lol, you play (or don't play) games based on what people say about it?

I prefer to choose for myself if they are good or not.

Did you even read what I posted?

 

[J-Rock]

Not surprising. He's been saying this for the last couple of months. He's said that he will keep making games that offer the gameplay style of DayZ but he's more interested in Sci-fi stuff.

 

[Sendou]

I guess I'll be in the minority but I'm not happy.

I bought the game under the impression and thinking that Dean Hall would see the game through to his "vision" a.k.a. completion. The fact he is stepping down when the game will only be at beta(from his and Bohemia's estimates) I'm not happy. I know he had sold the game/I.P. to Bohemia but I thought he'd finish it and not effectively leave in the middle of development.

Great job Dean! I'll make sure to avoid any future purchases from your new company or any game you "start" because you've already set the precedent you won't see it to completion.

I fully agree. Well at least this has taught me a valuable lesson on "Early Access Games".

That said I'm interested to see where the game will be when everything is said and done.

 

[Bboy AJ]

I guess I'll be in the minority but I'm not happy.

I bought the game under the impression and thinking that Dean Hall would see the game through to his "vision" a.k.a. completion. The fact he is stepping down when the game will only be at beta(from his and Bohemia's estimates) I'm not happy. I know he had sold the game/I.P. to Bohemia but I thought he'd finish it and not effectively leave in the middle of development.

Great job Dean! I'll make sure to avoid any future purchases from your new company or any game you "start" because you've already set the precedent you won't see it to completion.

And way to go about basically saying you have no faith in the game

Think I'll bail on the game too and uninstall it right now.

Well, who told you to fund it? It's Early Access. Why people pay for something that isn't even close to being finished is beyond me. "Yay, support the developers!" I hope that crappy mentality ends soon. Hopefully the gaming community will start remembering they're consumers and not cheerleaders.

LOL at the lead guy admitting the game is flawed. Whatever. They have their money already.

 

[Gen X]

Good luck Mr Hall, may the ping be with you, always.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Did you even read what I posted?

Yes. It doesn't make sense.

 

[J-Rock]

I guess I'll be in the minority but I'm not happy.

I bought the game under the impression and thinking that Dean Hall would see the game through to his "vision" a.k.a. completion. The fact he is stepping down when the game will only be at beta(from his and Bohemia's estimates) I'm not happy. I know he had sold the game/I.P. to Bohemia but I thought he'd finish it and not effectively leave in the middle of development.

Great job Dean! I'll make sure to avoid any future purchases from your new company or any game you "start" because you've already set the precedent you won't see it to completion.

And way to go about basically saying you have no faith in the game

Think I'll bail on the game too and uninstall it right now.

Way to shit on the team doing all the heavy lifting on the game. Dean isn't a one man army on this. There are plenty of skilled people that will continue working on it.

 

[Dinosaur Tamer]

Sums it up pretty well.

He obviously should be free to choose the company he works for and the games he works on. Still feels like a scam. I bought a highly unfinished standalone release on day one, because I wanted to support them and give them the opportunity to finish the game with Dean Hall as lead.

 

[Recall]

Offer early access game, promise the world, get plenty of money for half a game and run while leaving your integrity behind.

Obviously it's not quite like that but it does sting a little.

 

[JDSN]

Offer early access game, promise the world, get plenty of money for half a game and run while leaving your integrity behind.

Obviously it's not quite like that but it does sting a little.

You are right, its absolutely nothing like that at all.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Still feels like a scam.

I bought a highly unfinished standalone release on day one, because I wanted to support them

You scammed yourself. Supporting them is not your job.

 

[patapuf]

Why are People acting like the game won't be worked on anymore?

1. He steps down by the end of the year, not now.

2. This is a studio working on it, not one person.

 

[ultrazilla]

Yes. It doesn't make sense.

I'll break it down for you like this:

I bought DayZ early access with the belief that Dean Hall(HIS VISION) would see it through to completion based on his numerous interviews where he put forth future plans for the game up to its "end game" aka base building, dynamic ai events and other features.

He has now said he is leaving and stated it's a "flawed concept".

I wonder how many sales he would have gotten on Steam if in the description of the Early Access he said he was leaving the game in the middle of development and that the game was a flawed concept.

It just rubs me the wrong way and as a paying customer, I can bitch about it.

 

[Tom Brohanks]

I knew this would happen. I wad negative at first that he woukdnt work on the game and he'd just take the money and leave. He ended up working more on it to prove me wrong...but now he proves me right. Disappoing to know the game will never be more than a jogging simulator.

I got my 90 hours in, so it was worth the money, but I expected so much more than a few hats and new guns. Zombies are still bugged. He probably realized his choice of engine was bad so he can never do the game right.

 

[Burger]

Wow. Such vitriol.

People really throw £20 at a game and expect someone to enslave themselves to the project for the rest of their days?

You didn't give your money to one guy. You purchased a unfinished product from a company. They don't even have to deliver on their promises, you don't have a contract.

 

[Slair]

I'll break it down for you like this:

I bought DayZ early access with the belief that Dean Hall(HIS VISION) would see it through to completion based on his numerous interviews where he put forth future plans for the game up to its "end game" aka base building, dynamic ai events and other features.

He has now said he is leaving and stated it's a "flawed concept".

I wonder how many sales he would have gotten on Steam if in the description of the Early Access he said he was leaving the game in the middle of development and that the game was a flawed concept.

It just rubs me the wrong way and as a paying customer, I can bitch about it.

Base building will be in beta, the plan for that was to be in at the end of the year. You may get dynamic ai events when he leaves because he never wanted them, he wanted everything to be player driven.

Edit: From the way people are talking it's like he's leaving tomorrow and as he leaves the entire team suddenly stop working on it.

 

[ultrazilla]

Way to shit on the team doing all the heavy lifting on the game. Dean isn't a one man army on this. There are plenty of skilled people that will continue working on it.

I'm not shitting on the team here at all J Rock. I'm shitting on Dean Hall. I bought the game based on what HIS VISION OF THE GAME would end up being. Now it seems like that won't be the case.

He did a hell of a job selling it and hyping it and I'm a sucker for buying into it.

 

[Tobor]

He doesn't owe anybody anything, but calling the game a "flawed concept" is a dick move. He needs some PR training.

 

[ultrazilla]

He doesn't owe anybody anything, but calling the game a "flawed concept" is a dick move. He needs some PR training.

I'm sure Bohemia just love the fact that he basically called their I.P. a "flawed concept" on his way out the door which will probably hurt their sales.

For sure a dick move.

 

[Tom Brohanks]

Wow. Such vitriol.

People really throw £20 at a game and expect someone to enslave themselves to the project for the rest of their days?

You didn't give your money to one guy. You purchased a unfinished product from a company. They don't even have to deliver on their promises, you don't have a contract.

We paid for a product that to this day is still alpha and has little true development done to it. Like I said, I got my money's worth much more so than many AAA games, but the point is this guy talked so much about his vision but bailed on it once he made millions of dollars. This sets a precedent for other developers to promise something huge, take money, and then leave when their coffers are full enough.

I'm bored if the game now anyways, it is purely principle here.

 

[Vodh]

Meh. On one hand it's a bit sad to hear, as a consumer I think I would have preferred if he waited until the complete release to leave the company and the project, but I don't think Hall's infallible, maybe some fresh air will do the game good in the end. I think it will end up benefiting from his 'vision' as much as it can, and this way it won't be held back by anyone I guess?

We'll see.

 

[Slair]

We paid for a product that to this day is still alpha and has little true development done to it. Like I said, I got my money's worth much more so than many AAA games, but the point is this guy talked so much about his vision but bailed on it once he made millions of dollars. This sets a precedent for other developers to promise something huge, take money, and then leave when their coffers are full enough.

I'm bored if the game now anyways, it is purely principle here.

Maybe wait till he's bailed to comment on the state the game is in as he bails.

 

[Bboy AJ]

I'm not shitting on the team here at all J Rock. I'm shitting on Dean Hall. I bought the game based on what HIS VISION OF THE GAME would end up being. Now it seems like that won't be the case.

He did a hell of a job selling it and hyping it and I'm a sucker for buying into it.

That's the right attitude. Yes, you're a sucker. But that's OK if you learn and never do it again. I can only hope and pray for the end of this nonsense where consumers fund games months to years in advance. These beggar developers used to apply for their own funding where they'd still a have dog in the fight during development. Now there's less incentive and it leads to anticonsumer behavior.

 

[cebri.one]

By the end of the year the game should be in beta and nearly finished, no problem at all. And as some said in this post, Rocket is not the only one behind DayZ.

 

[ultrazilla]

We paid for a product that to this day is still alpha and has little true development done to it. Like I said, I got my money's worth much more so than many AAA games, but the point is this guy talked so much about his vision but bailed on it once he made millions of dollars. This sets a precedent for other developers to promise something huge, take money, and then leave when their coffers are full enough.

I'm bored if the game now anyways, it is purely principle here.

Great post.

I bought the game based on how he was selling it to us with his vision for the game. I didn't buy it based on who might be helping him make it. I sure as hell wouldn't have bought it had I known what I know now.

 

[Burgess_101]

Wow. Such vitriol.

People really throw £20 at a game and expect someone to enslave themselves to the project for the rest of their days?

You didn't give your money to one guy. You purchased a unfinished product from a company. They don't even have to deliver on their promises, you don't have a contract.

Why cant you still be angry? I dont understand. I didnt buy DayZ because I never expected it to be as good as it was hyped to be I enjoyed the mod while it lasted. Dean Hall doesn't have an obligation to finish his game no, but if he wants to make it some other way in this industry he has made it pretty difficult for himself. A lot of people bought DayZ and I am sure a lot of them wont ever buy a game with him at the helm of again.

 

[Burger]

We paid for a product that to this day is still alpha and has little true development done to it. Like I said, I got my money's worth much more so than many AAA games, but the point is this guy talked so much about his vision but bailed on it once he made millions of dollars. This sets a precedent for other developers to promise something huge, take money, and then leave when their coffers are full enough.

I'm bored if the game now anyways, it is purely principle here.

You paid cash money for a game that is in Alpha state, and are complaining that you paid for some guys vision and he's bailed because he made a million dollars.

1) He has not left Bohemia.
2) The team have not finished the game.
3) You don't know how much money he made.
4) This doesn't really set a precedent for anything.

 

[cripterion]

Not to be a dick or anything but how about properly finishing what he started? Dayz was never properly done as a mod and still isn't as a standalone (hell I watched several streams and never actually seen a zombie in the standalone) and now he has ideas about 3 other games?

I think there's a better chance to see the Warband mod Crusader : Way to Expiation done than seeing a Dean Hall completed project.

 

[Dinosaur Tamer]

You scammed yourself. Supporting them is not your job.

You are not making any sense. Never said it was my job. A lot of people buy early access games, because they want to make sure the team is actually able to finish the game they are waiting for. Playing an early alpha is not really that exciting if you have lots of superior alternatives.

Early access devs get sales by showing good concepts and plans for future additions. They usually get their customers interested in the final product they are aiming for, not the unfinished and broken version that is immediately available.

It's pretty obvious the DayZ devs deliberately hold back on this information and heavily implied the opposite to capitalize on steam sales. I have little faith in Bohemia finishing this without Dean Hall and I know a lot of day one customers that will feel the same way.

Maybe scam is the wrong word, but it definitely feels scummy.

 

[Burger]

You are not making any sense. Never said it was my job. A lot of people buy early access games, because they want to make sure the team is actually able to finish the game they are waiting for. Playing an early alpha is not really that exciting if you have lots of superior alternatives.

Early access devs get sales by showing good concepts and plans for future additions. They usually get their customers interested in the final product they are aiming for, not the unfinished and broken version that is immediately available.

It's pretty obvious the DayZ devs deliberately hold back on this information and heavily implied the opposite to capitalize on steam sales. I have little faith in Bohemia finishing this without Dean Hall and I know a lot of day one customers that will feel the same way.

Maybe scam is the wrong word, but it definitely feels scummy.

All this Kickstarter/Greenlight/Early Access stuff is quite clearly at your risk. Caveat Emptor and all that. I've never ever paid for anything on Kickstarter, and I've never been disappointed.

 

[Loomba]

ded gaem