Plants vs. Zombies 3

Last updated
Plants vs. Zombies 3:
Welcome To Zomburbia
Developer(s) PopCap Games
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Series Plants vs. Zombies
Platform(s) Android, iOS
ReleaseJanuary 17, 2024
Genre(s) Tower defense

Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia (also known as simply Plants vs Zombies 3, known acronymically as PvZ3) is a 2024 free-to-play tower defense mobile game developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. The third game in the Plants vs. Zombies tower defense series, it was released for iOS and Android devices on January 17, 2024. The first game in the franchise to incorporate the main characters of the Plants vs. Zombies comic book series written by Paul Tobin and published by Dark Horse Comics since 2013, the game follows Patrice Blazing as she returns to Neighborville to find it overtaken by Dr. Zomboss, teaming up with her best friend Nate Timely and her uncle Dave's plant army to face them.

Contents

Plants vs. Zombies 3 was released in a limited alpha test in July 2019 and was soft launched in select regions in February 2020. [1] The game was redone completely and was soft launched on Android in Australia and the Philippines. [2] The game was re-released in April 2022, [3] and another soft launch was released in October 2022. [4] On January 17, 2024, EA announced that the game would be soft launched in more regions until being launched worldwide. [5] [6] [7]

Premise

After sending his niece Patrice to summer camp, Crazy Dave falls into a coma after eating a bait taco from the zombies. Three months later, Patrice returns to Neighborville, only to find that it has been overtaken by zombies. With the help from Mo and Patrice's best friend Nate Timely, Patrice must help restore Neighborville from Dr. Zomboss, the leader of all zombies.

Development

Plants vs. Zombies 3 had started its development as early as 2016, with various concepts created by digital artist Jason Brown. [8] The game was expected to be released in the 4th quarter of 2017 according to the China Licensing Expo 2017. On July 16, 2019, PopCap announced the existence of the game and that a pre-alpha was coming soon for players to give feedback, adapting the Dark Horse Comics Plants vs. Zombies series by Paul Tobin and featuring Patrice Blazing as the player character. The pre-alpha was closed on February 10, 2020 and was soft launched to select countries on February 25, 2020.

In response to criticism towards the game, PopCap decided to redo the game from scratch, which was soft launched on September 7, 2021. The game would release soft launch updates from then to October 12, 2022. The game went silent for more than a year, some speculating the game was cancelled. However, the game received another soft launch on January 17, 2024 with the name Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia, with Nate Timely added as a playable character alongside Patrice.

On October 16, 2024, EA took Plants vs. Zombies 3 offline for a major overhaul. After a soft launch in select regions, the game is being reworked based on player feedback to improve combat, add new characters, and expand its lore. No return date has been announced yet. [9]

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References

  1. Bashir, Dale (2020-02-27). "Plants Vs Zombies 3 Soft-Launched in the Philippines". IGN Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  2. Arts, Electronic (2021-09-07). "A New Vision for PvZ 3 Has Taken Root!". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  3. Arts, Electronic (2022-04-05). "LIMITED TERRITORY TESTING FOR PVZ 3!". Electronic Arts Inc. Archived from the original on 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  4. Arts, Electronic (2022-10-11). "Even More Limited Territory Testing For PvZ 3!". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  5. Roth, Emma (2024-01-17). "EA is finally launching Plants vs. Zombies 3". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  6. Arts, Electronic (2024-01-17). "Plants vs. Zombies™ 3 Soft Launch!". Electronic Arts Inc. Archived from the original on 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  7. Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia - Official Trailer - IGN, 2024-01-17, archived from the original on 2024-01-23, retrieved 2024-01-21
  8. "jtbrownart.com - Plants VS Zombies Previz". 2018-06-19. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  9. Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-10-16). "EA Takes Plants vs. Zombies 3 Offline for 'Major Overhaul'". IGN. Retrieved 2024-10-16.