DayZ creator: Origins mod "awesome" but title "unfortunate"

DayZ developer Dean "Rocket" Hall has no issues with ArmA 2 mod DayZ: Origins, despite his dislike of certain other competitors.

The mod, which is cast as a prologue to Hall's DayZ, is non-commercial; the designer doesn't seem bothered by its existence at all.

"The most personally satisfying part of making DayZ has been seeing the cottage industry crop up around it, and watching all this user created content pop up," he told Eurogamer.

"There are some awesome, awesome ideas in the Origins mod, as well as in other mods like 2017. It would seem a shame to destroy that kind of creativity by me getting upset about the name."

But that's not to say he's completely without reservations; he said it's "somehwta unfortunate" the mod team chose that particular title.

"My thoughts for the moment are really, 'Wow, that's cool,' and then, 'Aww shucks, there go my DayZ: Origins plans!'" he said.

"I had some plans that involved the use of DayZ Origins as a name, and now, if I were to do what I was planning, then it would forever get confused with that.

"But you can't encourage creativity on one hand and beat it with a stick with another."

Hall's comments are an excellent contrast to his reaction to The War Z, which is a commercial title some believe may have unethically appropriated DayZ's ideas.

DayZ began life as an ArmA 2 mod and will receive a commercial standalone release later this year.