H1Z1 Going Free-to-Play Today, Includes New Auto Royale Mode; Esports League Formally Announced

Life comes at you fast. Last week, I opined that, despite its recent massive drop in players, H1Z1 wouldn't be going free-to-play anytime soon. Today, Daybreak Game Company made a liar out of me.

H1Z1 is indeed going free-to-play, at 10:00 PST today. That includes both the battle royale version of the game and the newly added Auto Royale. Other than a trio of limited edition loot packs, the announcement doesn't say anything in terms of the cash shop, though since the game already had paid loot boxes, it's possible nothing else has been added.

If you purchased the game during early access, you'll receive an H1Z1 Appreciation Pack, consisting of a hoodie, t-shirt, ARV, and currency. You can also get a refund for the game if you meet the terms of Steam's refund policy. Finally, there's no word in the announcement how this will affect Just Survive, the "other" component of H1Z1; for the time being, that remains a paid title in early access.

For the esports-minded among you, the H1Z1 ProLeague is going to commence on April 21 in Las Vegas. According to the announcement, it will pit 15 teams against each other over the course of two 10-week split seasons and will be livestreamed via Facebook Live. While no specific monetary prizes were mentioned, the league will have "guaranteed player minimum salary, team owner and player representation on the governance committee, along with a comprehensive 'Player Bill of Rights' and a well-defined revenue sharing model."

Now that H1Z1 is F2P, will you be jumping in?