ZombsRoyale

''ZombsRoyale.io'' is a battle royale game developed by End Game Interactive. It was released for web browsers in 2018, with iOS and Android ports later that year. A simplified take on the genre, game matches follow up to 100 players who must fight on a large map to be the last survivors. It uses simple 2D graphics and a top-down perspective. The game has amassed over 120,000,000 downloads and unique players across iOS, Android, Web Browser, and PC as of 2024.

''ZombsRoyale.io'' was the fourth title by End Game, a Washington–based developer established the year before. Despite featuring no zombies, it was named so because it used the same engine as End Game's ''Zombs.io''. The game was made to follow the recent trends of both battle royales such as ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' (2017) and .io games such as ''Agar.io'' (2015). It received little attention from journalists, but became the tenth most Googled video game in the U.S. that year and its popularity helped End Game raise over $3 million from investors.

Gameplay

''ZombsRoyale.io'' is a top-down battle royale game. Like other .io games, it has simplified gameplay and 2D graphics. There are three game modes, Solo, Duo, or Squad, and limited time modes which rotate regularly. Like other battle royales, up to 100 players — some of which may be computer-controlled bots — are dropped into matches. Games are typically short, around five minutes long.

Players parachute into the map out of a plane, where weapons, mostly various types of firearms, healing items, and ammo can be found in buildings and crates. A cloud of poisonous gas slowly closes in, limiting the play area and forcing players together. Depending on the game mode, the last player or team standing wins.

The quality of weapons, which include sniper rifles, SMGs, tridents and grenades, are determined by their rarity.

Background

End Game Interactive was founded in Bellevue, Washington, in 2017, by web developers Yang C. Liu and Luke Zbihlyj. The pair were best known for PokéVision, an unofficial website which tracked Pokémon in the 2016 AR game ''Pokémon Go''. It had a userbase of 100 million within 7 days, around half the game's players, before the CEO of ''Pokémon Go'' developer Niantic asked it to be shut down a month after it started.

The viral success of ''Agar.io'' (2015) and '' Slither.io'' (2016) led to a new genre of browser game. .io games are defined loosely by their domain name, simplicity, and massively multiplayer elements. The genre's mechanics pit players against each other and have a "low-commitment, die-and-retry" gameplay loop. End Game Interactive decided to start making .io games, but their first effort, the shooter ''LASERSHARKS.io'', was not successful. They then made ''Zombs.io'', a tower defense and base building game and one of the first .io games with a persistent world. A week later, they made ''Spinz.io'', a fidget spinner version of ''Agar.io'', in a second attempt to make a viral streamer-friendly game after ''LASERSHARKS.io''. The YouTubers PewDiePie and Jacksepticeye made videos playing it.

Development

End Game Interactive's small team of around 3, led by CEO Liu, spent four weeks developing ''ZombsRoyale.io'' and the rest of 2018 maintaining and expanding it. It was released for web browsers in early 2018, while a PC client came out sometime later. iOS and Android ports were released in May.

Although there are no zombies in the game, the game was named ''ZombsRoyale.io'' because it used the same engine as End Game's ''Zombs.io''. Like how ''Spinz.io'' was made to capitalize on a recent fidget spinner trend, ''ZombsRoyale.io'' was inspired by the rise of battle royale games such as '' PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (2017) and ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' (2018). Liu did the art for both ''Spinz.io'' and ''ZombsRoyale.io''.

ZombsRoyale Events

The ZombsRoyale community has long thrived on a diverse range of events, providing players with numerous opportunities each week to engage in competitive play and social interaction. Various event servers have become central to the community, each offering its own style and schedule:

ZCC (Zombs Clan Central)

ZCC was the first major event server established for ZombsRoyale and quickly set the standard for organized play. Initiated by NASA, it became the hub for regular events and tournaments. However, since 2022, ZCC has ceased running events consistently.

ZFT (Zombs Fight-Fi Tournaments)

Originally operated entirely by Fight-Fi, ZFT focused on hosting competitive events and tournaments for ZombsRoyale. Up until 2021, Fight-Fi managed the server, but it later split off into an independent branch as Fight-Fi ceased to exist as a standalone entity. Today, ZFT remains a cornerstone of the event scene by hosting multiple weekly events and occasional tournaments.

ZRE (ZombsRoyale Events)

Managed by MrJAwesome—who also runs a well-known Coding Lounge on Discord—ZRE is dedicated to providing frequent events throughout the week. This server is a major contributor to the game’s competitive environment, offering diverse formats that keep players actively engaged.

Endzone

Created by Twitch Partner Streamer Brulph, Endzone currently organizes one event per week in collaboration with ZFT. This partnership blends the competitive edge of ZFT with Endzone’s unique community-driven approach.

Together, these event servers have been pivotal in sustaining ZombsRoyale's dynamic and engaged community, each offering its own flavor of competitive play and collaboration.

Reception

In 2018, ''ZombsRoyale.io'' was the tenth most Googled video game in the U.S., the only non–AAA game in the top ten. It received little coverage from game journalists, but amassed 45 million players by 2020.

''Rock Paper Shotgun'''s Ollie Toms, an avid player of battle royales, appreciated the top-down perspective, which he thought gave all players an equal footing and prevented third-partying, the practice of sneaking up on two players already fighting. Because of this, he found it more enjoyable than other battle royales. Coupled with the short rounds, Toms felt ''ZombsRoyale.io'' was "Less satisfying than winning a 45-minute PUBG match, for sure - but also far, far less frustrating." From the same publication, Dominic Tarason said ''ZombsRoyale.io'' was "simple enough to pick up and play despite containing just about everything you'd expect from a modern Battle Royale shooter." Because of the top-down graphics, Tarason said the "focus ason clever positioning rather than run-and-gun action." A ''TouchArcade'' writer described it as "a very interesting blend" of ''Fortnite'' and ''PUBG'', but with a 2D top-down view, while ''Gamezebo'' said it was "part PUBG, part Hotline Miami".

In 2020, End Game Interactive raised $3 million in seed funding from investors such as Supercell, Scooter Braun, Unity founder David Helgason, and Twitch founder Kevin Lin. In 2021, Liu was the cover page honoree of the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 in Games.

See also

* ''Surviv.io''

References

External links

* {{Official website, ZombsRoyale.io

2018 video games
Battle royale games
IOS games
Android (operating system) games
Browser games
Video games developed in the United States
.io video games