The H1Z1 virus devastated mankind and left nothing but death and destruction in its wake and a world nearly empty of human life where the remnants of humanity are in a fight against extinction against those infected with the virus.

It’s been 15 years since H1Z1 was first encountered and what’s left of the world before is overrun with the Infected. Humanity has been reduced to hiding in the shadows, searching desperately for food and water and anything that can help to survive even for another day. But the Infected aren’t the only dangers in the world. Everyday life in the Apocalypse means dealing with all kinds of wild animals and the brutality of other survivors, as well as finding your next meal and a safe place to sleep. It also means scavenging or crafting anything that can help you live just one more day.

Daybreak Game Company announced the upcoming separation of the Early Access survival game H1Z1 into two independent games.

H1Z1: King of the Kill is a large-scale, high-intensity multiplayer shooter comprised of a variety of new fight-to-the-death game modes, including fan-favorite PLAYERUNKNOWN’s Battle Royale. King of the Kill will come out of Early Access and launch this summer on consoles and PC.

H1Z1, in turn, will now be called H1Z1: Just Survive, and will refine its focus on delivering a persistent, post-apocalyptic, open-world zombie experience where scavenging, crafting and base-building are the difference between life and death.

On Feb. 17, 2016, both H1Z1: Just Survive and H1Z1:King of the Kill will be available on PC through Steam Early Access for $19.99 USD each. All players who currently own or purchase H1Z1 on or before Feb. 16 will be granted both games upon the separation.

“Since its release last year on Steam Early Access, we’ve had more than 2.5 million downloads of H1Z1 and rank as the number four top selling game on Steam of 2015 releases,” said Laura Naviaux, Chief Publishing Officer of Daybreak Games. “We launched H1Z1 as an Early Access title to allow the player community to help shape our development. Over the course of development, we discovered it had evolved into two unique gaming experiences, appealing to two distinct communities. Fostering lasting communities is the bedrock of our organization, and by allowing these worlds to exist independently and grow in their own distinguished ways, we can better deliver on a consistent vision and clear roadmap for each game toward official release and beyond.”

Both Just Survive and King of the Kill will continue to progress in Steam Early Access under the umbrella of the H1Z1 universe, but will be developed with independent milestones by dedicated teams within Daybreak Games. King of the Kill will come out of Early Access and launch simultaneously on PC, PS4 and Xbox One this summer. Just Survive will remain in Early Access through the end of the year.

“H1Z1:King of the Kill is all about the spectacle,” said Jens Andersen, Executive Creative Director of Daybreak Games. “All of the game modes will feature unique gameplay elements that invite prowess, chaos, glory, and a little bit of ridiculousness all into one fight. The next game mode we introduce will make vehicles an important part of the exhibition, adding another layer of energy and turbulence to the mix as players have to move rapidly to different areas of the map in order to stay alive.”

Andersen added, “H1Z1: Just Survive development will remain focused on creating an open-world survival experience. We are working on creating a world that’s immersive, that captures the mindset of the last remaining humans trying to survive a post-apocalyptic zombie-filled wasteland – what does it feel like to be forced to scavenge for resources, to have to construct shelters to live, to aid or hinder the last remnants of human civilization? It’s a richer gameplay experience and we want to make sure we do it justice.”

In H1Z1 every minute of every day is borrowed time and fearing for your life… unless you are the Danger, but life can and will go on… even in circumstances as dire as this. Humanity has not given in to the Infected.

There are still pockets of humanity and the fight goes on!

H1Z1 is a persistent MMO so there will be a thriving economy, which means that apart from crafting there will also be trading. SOE will be giving players the tools to make their own towns, camps and defenses, and decide how to set up their base (which is in the world, not instanced). Player Studio will be included so expect player-created items to make their way into the game.