H1Z1 isn't just a big-budget DayZ clone, says Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley.

In a Reddit thread comparing the two titles, Smedley acknowledged the similarities, but also sought to highlight some differences.

"Not going to give some politically correct dodgy [bullsh***] answer," said Smedley. "It is a survival in a Zombie Apocalypse game. So is DayZ. [Bohemia Interactive] have made a brilliant game (first I might add). They have a great vision for it and can count myself and most of the people on our team as fans and contributors."

"We’re making the game we’re making. Long term we plan on making this about a persistent world with a big landscape with thousands of players. The way we would like to see this roll out is much more like players building small enclaves or pockets of territory and hold out against a legitimate zombie threat that’s ever present while others go it alone taking their chances. These player built structures, forts and towns are one of the ways the players try to carve out some small space in a dangerous world."

"We also want to make sure we have a deep in-game economy that is heavily dependent on crafting," continued Smedley. "Players will be able to become manufacturers. Sell bullets, arrows, etc. The in-game economy will be entirely player driven."

Smedley said he wanted to see players starting out by catching their own food, before graduating to growing and protecting their own crops.

"So this is our take on the Zombie Apocalypse with a lot of friends and hopefully some great enemies both living and dead. We’re proud to be up front and say we love DayZ and the job they’ve done and we hope they enjoy what we make too."

"We’re another Zombie Apocalypse game," said Smedley. "Call it what it is. But our goal is to make ours fun, accessible, hard core and super, super deep. As time goes on we hope our take on the end of the world by zombie is fun and lots of people get to try it."

"You’ll also have all the information you need when you start Early Access for $19.99. You can watch others stream it. You can decide to wait till we switch it to Free to Play. Either way you’ll see our roadmap and you’ll see if it’s something that’s for you."

Sony announced H1Z1 for PC and PlayStation 4 earlier this month. The name is a reference to 2009’s "swine flu" virus, and the game is set 15 years after it appeared, in a world where it transforms people into zombies.

Sony is still figuring out the game’s monetisation, said Smedley.

“We will telegraph our plans early and let people comment and we'll listen if they don't like something and come to a place where people feel good about it," he said.

“We are not interested in selling weapons. The game at its core is about survival. Our preference is not to sell anything that can help with that.”

A release date is yet to be announced, although H1Z1 will hit PC first via Steam Early Access for US$20.