Build 41 was the biggest update for Project Zomboid so far – but the developers still have more plans. Next up are NPCs.
Just before the end of 2021, Project Zomboid made a strong comeback: Build 41 boosted player numbers and also brought the survival game to the attention of many new eyes. While the developers at The Indie Stone are very happy about the growth, they are already working on the next big feature: NPCs.
What all changed with Build 41 and why it had such an extremely positive effect on player numbers, we’ll tell you in a separate news item:
Project Zomboid: Survival role-playing game celebrates biggest update to date & player record
So far, apart from any multiplayer colleagues, you are quite alone in the game world of Project Zomboid. This will change in the future, as Chris Simpson from The Indie Stone reveals in an interview with (NME). However, as usual, the update will still be some time in coming.
NPCs and Animals – Here’s what’s next for Project Zomboid
Build 41, Simpson says, was an important step in realising Project Zomboid’s own vision. The team plans to build on this update in the future and plans are already in place.
The next big update after build 41 will be NPCs. Simpson confirms this in an interview:
Even though there will be smaller builds in between, the next big thing that we’re working towards and that we’ll be talking about in the new year [2022] is NPCs.
Chris Simpson via NME
NPCs have long been a much-discussed topic among players, but at the same time a difficult expansion for the developers. Currently, the team does not yet know what all has to be included in such an update, but it will most likely come down to several build releases. It would be impossible for the team to do everything in one go.
Before the NPC plan, the team had actually intended to integrate wild animals. However, such an update would have already revealed certain AI behaviours that were intended for the larger NPC update. For this reason, the team changed its mind. Animals, however, are of course still on the agenda.
In addition, the developers are planning to expand the tech tree in order to provide more variety and diversity in the end game. However, it’s not supposed to be about you suddenly knocking out entire factories in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
It might seem a little strange for our game to have any kind of long-term survival, but I think it needs the endgame to give players something to build and unlock new achievements.
Chris Simpson via NME
Don’t get too excited about the NPCs and other updates too soon, though, as Project Zomboid’s update cycle is known to be quite leisurely. On the other hand, the developers take a lot of care and let larger updates be tested beforehand in special beta builds.
On the way to the release
NPCs, wildlife and more crafting: these are the three big topics that the team of The Indie Stone still wants to implement at least until the release of Project Zomboid. Although Project Zomboid has been in Early Access since 2013, version 1.0 is not yet within reach.
According to Simpson, there is a simple reason for this: Project Zomboid is simply not yet ready as the developers would like it to be. Only when they reach that certain point will they make the switch to the full version – and possibly a change of scenery for the team. Version 1.0 is the day we’re done, Simpson said.
What happens after that remains to be seen. Maybe there will be DLCs, maybe we’ll get another team or port it to consoles, but for many team members, the final release of Project Zomboid will be the end of the line for the time being.
