Popular Twitch broadcaster Lirik has had the chance to sit down and chat with Sony Online Entertainment developer Jimmy Whisenhunt on their most recently announced title, H1Z1.

Unveiled last week, H1Z1 is an MMO that allows players to take on the role of an apocalypse survivor who is in a world that is filled with zombies. Players will find a number of similar mechanics to titles like DayZ and Rust said Whisenhunt, however with the obvious SOE twist to them. Among these changes include the use of the PlanetSide 2 engine to create a vast and open-world, where the team plan on expanding to cover all of America.

Reddit user a_monkie was able to summarise the entire interview, which clocks in at just over 50 minutes. Of interest, Whisenhunt mentioned that like past survival games H1Z1 will drop player loot once they die, enabling opportunists to take what they can. Other gameplay features include Rust level crafting as "the goal," dynamic weather, wildlife and hunting, FOV sliders for those in need and gun recoil similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

SOE's John Smedley last week revealed that an alpha can be expected sometime in the next few weeks, and Whisenhunt noted that the alpha will be "more of a way to find what will be fun and what to add." Interestingly, the developers are working on a bodily harm and injuries system, which should hopefully make for a more realistic take on the genre.

Gameplay for H1Z1 has yet to appear, though Whisenhunt has stated on Reddit that we can expect an unscripted and unedited Twitch livestream sometime during the early morning of April 18th for Australia. You can find the full list of features coming to H1Z1 over here, or check out Lirik's full interview below.