DayZ developer buys up Slovakian developer Cauldron

Bohemia Interactive, the developer behind the popular Steam Early Access title DayZ, has acquired Slovakian developer Cauldron Studios and put its 25 employees to work for DayZ.

Dean ‘Rocket’ Hall, the creator of DayZ, is making the news at the EGX Rezzed gaming fair in Birmingham, Eurogamer writes. The new studio will be called Bohemia Interactive Slovakia. In the past, Cauldron has been responsible for games such as Secret Service, Soldier of Fortune: Payback and Conan. In addition, Hall announced that DayZ has now sold 1.7 million copies on Steam Early Access. In January, the game reached 1 million copies sold.

Rocket also revealed a few things about the next update to the multiplayer zombie survival game. It should be online by the end of April, but may even appear earlier. Key features of the update are an initial version of a loot respawn system, doors that reset, and the addition of fireplaces and ovens that allow players to cook and bake respectively. The loot respawns only take place when an area has been clear of players for a certain amount of time. The same goes for the doors.

For server administrators, the necessary is also added. These will receive updates including improved communication between client and server, faster future updates, capabilities to speed up time by a factor of up to 64, and the option to allow players to throw objects.

In subsequent updates, Rocket plans to add 64-bit support, expanded physics, and better AI. He also talked about six new types of wild animals, weather effects such as snow and fog, dogs and horses that can travel with players, and more small vehicles that can also be mounted weapons. In addition to a system for cooking and baking, Bohemia is working on a system for agriculture. He also mentioned support for mods and achievements via Steam.