Project Zomboid

About

Project Zomboid is an open-world, isometric survival horror video game that tasks players with surviving a zombie apocalypse in Knox County, Kentucky developed by The Indie Stone. A pre-alpha version of the game was released in 2011. The game is highly praised for its customizability and realistic survival-style gameplay. The game is highly moddable and has a dedicated modding community surrounding it. In 2021, Project Zomboid underwent a large update that significantly changed the game's graphics, added new loot and enemies, revamped the combat system, added multiplayer and more, spiking interest in the game.

History

Project Zomboid was released in a pre-alpha state on April 25th, 2011 on the Project Zomboid website.^[1] An unofficial trailer for the game was posted to YouTube in June 2011, gaining over 85,000 views in 10 years (shown below).

In November 2013 the game was added to Steam. A trailer was released announcing this, gaining over 304,000 views in eight years (shown below).

Update 41

On December 20th, 2021, the Project Zomboid team released build 41 of the game. The full release notes^[3] say the update feels "more a sequel than a patch update" due to the number of additions. These include a revamped combat system, new graphics, map charting, animation overhauls, the addition of multiplayer, a new map, new weapons items and loots, randomized events and a number of new gameplay styles among other changes. A trailer was released for the update, gaining over 125,000 views in two days (shown below).

The game saw an increase in interest following the update, inspiring an influx of Let's Play videos showcasing the new additions to the game, most notably the multiplayer, a long-awaited addition to the game (examples shown below, left and right).

Online Presence

Reception

Project Zomboid has received generally positive reviews online since its release in 2011. On April 12th, 2021, YouTuber MrAtomicDuck gave the game a positive review (shown below).

Subreddit

On March 16th, 2011, /r/projectzomboid^[2] opened, meant for discussion and sharing content related to the game. As of December 2021 the subreddit boasts over 88,000 members. The forum is used for all types of content relating to the game and has inspired a dedicated meme community (examples shown below).

Mods

Project Zomboid is highly moddable and has fostered a large modding community since 2011 consisting of mods for items, custom maps, gameplay tweaks and more. Mods are available on the Steam Workshop^[4] and at Nexus Mods.^[5] On March 12th, 2021, YouTuber Pr1vateLime posted a video about their favorite mods, gaining over 222,000 views nine months (shown below, left). On May 10th, YouTuber MrAtomicDuck posted a similar video, gaining over 84,000 views in seven months (shown below, right).

Expanded Helicopter Event

Once during a playthrough, an event known as the "helicopter event" may happen. During the helicopter event, a helicopter can be heard flying overhead. The sound of the helicopter attracts zombies to the area. If it spots the player the helicopter follows them, even if they hide in a building, causing zombies to swarm to the player's spot and making for a difficult survival situation. The event is a favorite for players as well as a source of stress, resulting in mods that expand the event and memes about the event. On April 16th, 2021, modders shark and Chuckleberry Finn posted a mod to the Steam Workshop^[6] called the "Expanded Helicopter Events" mod which expands the event and adds weird alternates to the helicopter, including a UFO and ice cream truck (mod showcased below).

Search Interest

External References