When Did H1Z1‘s Just Survive Shut Down?

As a long-time H1Z1 player and content creator, I was saddened when Daybreak announced they were shutting down Just Survive on August 26, 2018. The game held a special place in my heart. Just Survive officially shut down on October 24, 2018 after a two-month sunset period.

In this article, we‘ll take a nostalgic walk down memory lane while analyzing:

• Timeline of Just Survive from launch to shutdown
• Factors behind its declining playerbase
• How other survival games fared at the time
• Impact on the passionate Just Survive community
• What rising genre pulled attention away?

Grab some tissues, friends. This is the inside story of H1Z1 Just Survive‘s shutdown.

The Life and Death of Just Survive

H1Z1 first began early access on Steam on January 15, 2015. After rapidly rising to popularity as a zombie MMO survival game, it split into two branches on February 17, 2016:

• H1Z1: Just Survive – hardcore multiplayer survival
• H1Z1: King of the Kill – fast-paced battle royale

As the king of survival games in 2015-2016, Just Survive hit a peak player count of 12,518 in February 2017.

But over the next 18 months, Something changed. Just Survive started bleeding players rapidly as you can see in the graph below:

Date          Peak Players 
Feb 2017      12,518
Jul 2017       5,028 
Jan 2018       1, enumeratedlist 
Aug 2018         592

What happened? As a long-time fan watching closely since launch, I pinpoint a few key reasons:

Gameplay Issues

Around mid-2017, Just Survive began facing a plague of hackers, exploit abusers, and bugs that severely damaged the gameplay experience. Rather than doubling anti-cheat efforts, core systems fell into disrepair. Strong Survival mechanics gave way to tedious base raiding.

Stiff Competition

As Just Survive declined, the survival genre still thrived in 2017 with hot titles like Ark: Survival Evolved, Rust, 7 Days to Die, and SCUM rising rapidly. Just Survive failed to evolve and lost pace with newer, more polished competitors.

The Battle Royale Craze

But more than anything, the exploding Battle Royale genre caught Daybreak‘s full attention. Fortnite and PUBG sent shockwaves through the industry in 2017. H1Z1 itself tried to capitalize by shedding its survival skin to fully embrace battle royale. Resources once flowing into Just Survive dried up.

By mid-2018, Just Survive‘s dwindling player population spelled financial doom. Daybreak announced sunset plans on August 26, 2018 with servers shutting just two months later on October 24, 2018.

Many fans hoped for an eleventh-hour miracle to save our beloved game. But alas, Just Survive rests in peace leaving only bittersweet memories.

The Fallout – Abandoned or Celebrated?

For diehard survival fans like myself, Just Survive‘s shutdown stung deep. Some felt Daybreak outright abandoned them after years of support and in-game purchases. Steam discussion threads overflowed with equal parts mourning and bitterness.

But many players like myself also used Just Survive‘s final months to celebrate the game‘s legacy. Veterans returned to reminisce on old bases while welcoming an influx of new players coming to experience Just Survive before the end.

Creative player events flourished like zombie races, demolition derbies, and sprawling in-game concerts. Just Survive‘s passionate community said farewell by cranking the game‘s best qualities up to 11.

While it couldn‘t save our beloved game, I took comfort in that last surge of positive energy. The joy of community shone bright at sunset.

Could It Have Played Out Differently?

I can‘t help but wonder – how might things have gone if Daybreak responded differently to Just Survive‘s 2017 decline? More anti-cheat protections? Quicker evolution of survival systems? Outreach campaigns to reinvigorate interest?

Perhaps Nothing could stop the battle royale meteor crashing down. But still, my inner armchair CEO brainstorms a dozen ways Just Survive could have dug in defences to retain that lovable niche.

Alas, hindsight offers little comfort 5 years later. We remain left remembering fonder times huddled around campfires before zombie hordes arrived.

Just Survive‘s Legacy – What Remains?

Today, little visible trace of Just Survive‘s existence remains beyond memories. But it undeniably helped shape survival gaming from 2015-2018.

Aspects of its innovative base building and raid systems now live on in the DNA of current genre leaders. Veterans applying knowledge from relentless zombie sieges now defend settlements in their new virtual homes.

The shared tales of bravery, betrayal, and community etched into our hearts. And someday, when another developer perfectly blends survival and zombies at scale, perhaps a phoenix may rise from Just Survive‘s ashes.

So rest easy, Just Survive. Game over doesn‘t mean forgotten.