Development on the standalone version of zombie survival title DayZ chugs along despite the imprisonment of two contributing designers.
In September, the Greek government detained Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, designers with Arm II developer Bohemia Interactive, on accusations of espionage. The two men remain in prison and might not face trial for months.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t still making games.
A group of developers are working on releasing a standalone version of the Arma II mod DayZ. Prior to their arrest, Buchta and Pezlar were helping develop the zombie mod-turned-game, and according to DayZ lead designer Dean Hall, Buchta still is:
The lead architect of the revised (and original) Chernarus map, Ivan Buchta, is still imprisoned in Greece on charges of espionage – and [that] is a great loss to the team. Luckily, through letters, Ivan is able to provide some input and insight into the development of the map. Regardless, the continued imprisonment of him and Martin Pezlar has a significant impact on our ability to redevelop Chernarus.
It’s nice that Buchta can still help even while held in a foreign country on suspicions of spying.
Greek authorities contend that Buchta and Pezlar were photographing and filming one of the nation’s military facilities. Bohemia Interactive, which makes military games, refutes the suggestion that the pair was performing research for its next game and claims Buchta and Pezlar were simply on vacation.