There's a lengthy post on the Bohemia Interactive blog reflecting on the future of DayZ after two years of early access to the zombie game. They say they plan to officially release the game this year, offering this specific outline of their goals:

We count ourselves lucky to have one of the most passionate, dedicated gaming communities sticking by us through the good and bad, aiding the team in making massive gains and advancements we might never have been able to accomplish without Early Access and those who have participated in it. With our goal set for a 2016 release from Early Access and the coming 1.0 of DayZ, lets take a quick look at what we have ahead of us:

• Steam Workshop support (Modding)
• Base Building
• Aerial Vehicles
• New Renderer
• New robust Animation System
• Enhanced Audio System support
• Predators
• Finalized Chernarus +
• Animal Companions
• New more modern UI & Inventory
• Public Server Binaries & Servlet/Database Release
• New User Actions & Fluid movement within the game world
• And that’s only the beginning.