Metroid franchise inspired ZombiU structure, enabling players to backtrack; Left 4 Dead inspired enemy placement, and Condemned: Criminal Origins influenced the game's first-person perspective. Its content was inspired by Capcom's Resident Evil and zombie comics, films and books such as Dead Set and Night of the Living Dead: London. ZombiU offline multiplayer mode was developed by Ubisoft Bucharest. Conceived during early development, it was kept when the core game was reiterated; its asymmetrical experience made the developer believe in the Wii U's potential, and was the demo Ubisoft showed the public during E3 2011. A cooperative multiplayer mode and online play were planned by the developer, but were removed due to time constraints. Cris Velasco was the game's composer. By the time Velasco began composing its music, ZombiU was playable; its audio director sent him game footage to help him understand the type of music needed. He spent 10 days composing the music, and assembled a string quintet of two violins, a viola, and two cellos to record it. Known as the Apocalypse Ensemble, it played "rawer sound" which makes the soundtrack menacing. Release ZombiU was introduced during Ubisoft's press conference at E3 2012. A webcomic, written by Johnston and illustrated by Kev Crossley, was published on November 12 to promote the game. The 14-page comic, Z-14, was the game's prequel and linked ZombiU to the initial zombie outbreak. ZombiU was released on November 18, 2012 as the Wii U launch game. At release, European players could only purchase the game from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. due to a Nintendo-imposed restriction. According to Nintendo of Europe, a German law required that games with mature content be purchased only at night. After negotiations with the German entertainment software self-regulating organization, the restriction was lifted in March 2013. A Wii U package with the game was released on February 13, 2013. In addition to the Wii U, its accessories and ZombiU, the package contained a downloadable copy of Nintendo Land and ZombiU artwork and developer commentary. Ubisoft executive Tony Key said that although the game was designed for the Wii U, the company might bring it to other platforms. Following several leaks, Ubisoft confirmed Zombi for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Developed by Straight Right (who had developed Mass Effect 3 Wii U version), it was released on August 18, 2015. The game is similar to the original, with