7 Days to Die is leaving early access after almost twelve years

Since its launch in 2013, the zombie survival game 7 days to die was in early access, but that’s about to change. Studio The Fun Pimps announced on Monday that the game will finally get version 1.0.

This update was previously known as Alpha 22, although it was always intended to be 1.0. There will be an experimental release in May and a stable 1.0 launch in June, although no specific dates are available yet. The game will also launch on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with the 1.0 version.

“When we first started making 7 days to dieWe never thought our game would generate so much interest or be so successful. This wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of our incredible community, who have supported us for over a decade,” said studio co-founder Richard Huenink in a YouTube video posted over the weekend. “7 days is our team’s greatest passion, and TFP will continue to create content and add new features and expand this franchise because it is our favorite game too.”

The 7 days to die alpha was launched in August 2013 after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, with the developers achieving all their ambitious goals. Players came for the Minecraft-like voxel-based sandbox and persisted through numerous updates. While the team still hasn’t achieved many of its Kickstarter goals, there is one roadmap which showcases three major updates, starting with “Storm’s Brewing,” which will overhaul the game’s weather system. Even the 1.0 update will bring major changes, including new vehicles.

While the console versions don’t come with features like crossplay, a frequently asked question posted to explain the update, shares news that the team hopes it will be ready by the first major update. Please note, however, that save files are not carried over from the older version.

To coincide with the news, Huenink also announced 7 days to die would receive a price increase to $44.99. This will not only standardize pricing across both PC and console, but also reflects the work the developers have put into the game over the past decade.

“We feel that the quality standard of the game has increased significantly since the initial price was set eight years ago, along with over a decade of content and improvements. We looked at how others have handled leaving early access, and this is a common practice,” the FAQ said. Current PC owners won’t have to pay extra for release 1.0, and new players can get the game on sale from today until April 29. At the time of writing it is 7 Ways to Die only costs $5.99 on Steam.

For console players it will be a little more complicated. Those who own the older edition will have to buy a new copy, although the studio is working with Sony and Microsoft to potentially offer discounts on the new version.