Many online games, especially first-person shooters, don’t have playable female characters—and that’s a shame given how many women play these games and wish to have the option. At E3 2014, Assassin’s Creed Unity was criticized for its lack of playable female characters due to the fact that it is a multiplayer co-op game for up to four players.
Having playable female characters will not be a cause for concern with H1Z1, as its developers at SOE have come out to state that playable female characters are a “top priority.”
In a blog post titled “The Gruesome and Gory details of H1Z1,” character lead Mat Broome shed some light on the development and creation of the game’s playable characters.
"Early access is going to be awesome, because we won’t just be adding our own items, we’ll be carefully listening to the community on feedback for what’s important to them," Broome wrote. "Top priorities are female characters and their own wearables as well. That means kick ass new boots, and more options for head gear and fatigues.”
“Coming soon we’ll be testing out female characters, multiple character races, and even multiple new zombie types as well massive brawlers that won’t let anyone stand in their way,” Broome continued. “Even more exciting is the upcoming military wearable system with tactical vest, helmets of all types, and Special Forces gear as well.”
“The key to pulling all this together is designing a malleable paper doll system that allows us to use all of these pieces together and keep the silhouette still feeling unique and special to each player.”
“The new races and genders will provide us with a strong range of characters,” concluded the developer.
H1Z1 is scheduled for release in late 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and PC.