Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia has been soft-launched in select regions months ahead of its original worldwide release schedule. Read on to learn which regions the game released early in, and PvZ 3's lackluster run-up.
PvZ 3: Welcome to Zomburbia Soft-Launched Early
Available in the UK, Netherlands, Australia, and the Philippines
PopCap’s latest addition to the Plants vs. Zombies (PvZ) series, Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia, soft-launched in select regions. Though currently not in its final build, the game is now playable on iOS and Android devices in the UK, Netherlands, Australia, and the Philippines.
PopCap to Iron Out Game During Soft Launch Period
Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia (PvZ 3) will retain the franchise’s iconic tower-defense gameplay, but will also offer an experience that is “both broadly accessible and deeper in strategic play”. New Puzzle Adventure elements have also been thrown into the mix, harking back to the original’s many minigames.
Despite PvZ 3’s focus on tower-defense tactics, the game has been billed as a story-driven trek through Zomburbia, where an episodic narrative walks players through different neighborhoods with different plants and endless waves of zombies. This format isn’t too dissimilar from PvZ 2’s system, which separated zombie-types and plant unlocks across different time eras presented as worlds.
PopCap said that it plans to use the soft-launch period to work on the game further and improve some of its aspects before its final worldwide release. Specifically, they want to streamline the game’s combat and expand the game’s lore with new ideas and characters.
PvZ 3’s Lackluster Run-up and Release
This is PvZ 3’s fifth early release to date with the first four serving the same role of gathering public input for its further development. The first one was in 2019 with its pre-alpha version, which was widely panned for its jarring 3D graphics and clunky gameplay. It was pulled from app stores soon after, only to be soft-launched in 2020 in selected areas.
It was soft-launched again in 2021 and two more times in 2022, each time releasing only for selected regions. These repeated soft launches haven’t gone unnoticed by the franchise’s fans, who’ve taken to Twitter (X) to react to the latest one with the same disdain they have for the others.
The consensus seems to be that, although the game looks much better than it did in 2019, this was not what the fans were waiting for. Users like @GucciSpeck flooded the comment section of PvZ 3’s announcement on Twitter (X) with messages like "How about GW3", referring to the long-awaited sequel to 2016’s PvZ Garden Warfare 2. This frigid dismissal of PvZ 3 might sink it before it is released, but such contempt was also directed at PvZ 2 – a game now regarded with much more reverence. Only time will tell if the PvZ community will eventually warm up to their favorite franchise’s newest entry.
Source:
Plants vs. Zombies 3 Soft Launch! - Official Announcement
