The stand-alone version of DayZ might just barely squeeze into its goal of releasing this year. Creator Dean Hall recently said the alpha will probably hit in December, and on top of that, claimed it will be "cheap."

"It has to be out before the end of the year," he said at the Eurogamer Expo. "Not just because we've committed to it but in order to achieve what we have to do. It has to be. There's no 'we hope it is'; it has to be. And it's going to be cheap. We've decided that we don't need to sell a heap of units in order for us to be OK with where it's going. The more units we sell of it the more ambitious we get, because the project has the better resources."

He said that releasing in December would allow the team to move onto "more ambitious features" in January and February. Hall made some remarks about The War Z, which is set to release this fall. "Maybe they will make a better game - I don't know. Maybe what they're doing is not cool to me, but the way I look at it is what are my options? What could I do? I could stand up here and be very critical of anyone who does a clone copy of the game. What would that actually achieve other than making me look like a dick? It's not going to result in a better game.

"I guess what I'm saying is what I feel isn't important. Maybe that's what leadership is: saying my feelings aren't important here - my feelings are often selfish. I have to be realistic about it and say the responsibility is on me to make a good game. And that's just life."