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Sony Online Entertainment’s free-to-play zombie MMO H1Z1 has been grabbing attention like a bite to the neck. From the promise of a “unique” take on survival horror, the beautiful visuals and scenery, and trying to calm fears over the power of microtransactions by taking on board fan input over monetization, it’s hard not to get even a little excited about a game that just may breathe life back into the zombie genre.

Fans and interested parties have been given a treat over on the H1N1 website. If you input the classic Konami Code, you’ll be given access to a bizarre teaser image (see below) and new gameplay teaser trailer (above). Already puzzle-solvers have taken to forums to decipher the meaning of the pixelated art, trying to keep one step ahead of SOE, who have been pushing out new content bit-by-bit.

Meanwhile, the teaser trailer, revealing sixty seconds of more-than-a-little-creepy game footage, follows a more in-depth gameplay video from last week with two of the H1Z1’s developers that gave a brief glimpse at just how the MMO would play. With a further live stream — the “H1Z1 Survivors Workshop” — taking place tomorrow, eyes are peeled to see if any further secrets about this highly-anticipated title will be revealed.

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There has already been enough to turn heads — no monetization towards crucial items such as weapons and food, an intended focus on forcing players to work together, an in-depth crafting system and trading system, and allowing player voting on specific custom servers. SOE is hoping that H1Z1 can wrestle the title of top zombie MMO from the rigor mortis grip of DayZ.

There is no current release date set for H1Z1, which is set to be let loose on PC and then followed with a PS4 release, but John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, has said to expect a playable version “soon”.

What do you think of the new footage? Do you think H1Z1 has what it takes to keep the zombie genre fresh? Are you concerned about the role of microtransactions in free to play triple-A titles? Let us know in the comments.

Source: SOE