Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is multiplayer-only, will launch for $39.99

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare will debut as a budget title.

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Garden Warfare, EA Canada's multiplayer shooter take on Plants vs Zombies, was one of our favorite surprises from E3. Apparently, PvZ simply works as a multiplayer shooter.

Powered by Frostbite, the multiplayer shooter is unquestionably one of PopCap's biggest productions ever. Supporting both 24 player multiplayer and 4 player co-op, Garden Warfare will be PopCap's most expensive release ever when it launches. However, creative director Justin Wiebe points out that it will be "relatively inexpensive when compared to other games on the platform."

"PopCap's had really good success around lower to mid-tier priced games," Wiebe told us. So, when Garden Warfare debuts on Xbox One, it will be $39.99 as both a retail and downloadable title. The Xbox 360 and PC versions will be even more affordable, retailing for $29.99. (Presumably, the exclusive content for the Xbox One version justifies the markup in price.)

Garden Warfare can be sold at a discount because the plan is to continue expanding the game after launch. There's also no single-player campaign, as the entire experience is focused on multiplayer. "We definitely want to build on the game once it's launched," Wiebe told us. "We're definitely taking a cue from Plants vs Zombies 2. Using DLC and new content updates, we want to keep players engaged in the long haul."

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC in 2014.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 3, 2013 10:00 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is multiplayer-only, will launch for $39.99.

    Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare will debut as a budget title.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 10:27 AM

      so they're plotting more DLC which is fine for maps and the like but i really hope it's not like PvZ2

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        September 3, 2013 11:50 AM

        You can completely beat PvZ2 without paying a penny so what's wrong with PvZ2?

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          September 3, 2013 12:07 PM

          The gameplay is terribly repetitive. Beat all these levels, not too bad. Go back and beat all these levels with the same backdrop and enemies and try to get 3 stars by completing all of these annoying challenges that are not fun. Bleh. They sapped the fun out of pvz by turning it into a typical f2p 3 star grinding game. Hey I guess there's a market for that but it's too bad EA mobile division is taking all these nice properties that we know and love and turning them into this BS. Can't wait for dungeon keeper, haha.

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            September 3, 2013 8:47 PM

            I found the challenges challenging and fun. I liked having to think about using different plants than I normally would. One of my favorite was where you had to beat a level w/o spending over 300 sun.

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      September 3, 2013 10:29 AM

      As long as it's not Origin only. Or P2W, like PvZ2.

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        September 3, 2013 10:35 AM

        99.9999% chance it is on both counts.

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        September 3, 2013 10:55 AM

        PvZ2 isn't pay to win. It's pay-because-you-don't-have-patience-or-skill. You can unlock pretty much everything for free.

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          September 3, 2013 11:02 AM

          More like pay or waste time. That unlocking the next level for $5 is bullshit. Oh, except you need stars to do that. Oh, except we wouldn't even make those stars available until you already finished the level.

          So, either replay all the levels again to get 1 star per run or $5 to progress. You decide how much your time is worth.

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            September 3, 2013 11:22 AM

            So what exactly is your complaint? You enjoy the game enough to shell out $5 to move on to the next world, but you don't enjoy the game enough to complete new challenges on old levels?

            I spent a total of $3.99 on PVZ2, which is much less than I spent on PVZ1. Yet I've played more of PVZ2. That's a win imo.

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              September 3, 2013 12:13 PM

              I'd be OK spending money on pvz2 if I knew where the money spending would end. But with the tedium in gameplay, basically there only to make a buck, it's just not fun to play the majority of the content that is there. I don't think it's as black and white about your time vs money, it's the quality of the time you're putting in too. I had fun right up to grinding out stars. I'd give em money for the levels but I know I'm going to be stuck paying another 5 dollars at the end of that, another 5 at the end of that and so on. Not to mention the need for keys if you're skipping the grind areas since you probably want to unlock new plants.

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            September 3, 2013 11:54 AM

            I played through every level without repeating things. You never replay things because there is a different challenge. So it isn't playing the same set over and over again. Not once did I have to play something again for unlocks. Just going through gave me more than enough keys, coins, and stars.

            Now that I've beaten it without paying for it I'm toying with buying the extra slot / fire / coin combo for $8 mostly because I think PopCap deserves $8.

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          September 3, 2013 11:36 AM

          Bullshit. No amount of playing will get you the last five plants, or the second tier of upgrades. Those are all micro-transactions. It's not pay-to-win, but it's definitely pay-to-complete

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            September 3, 2013 11:55 AM

            You absolutely don't need any of those things. They just make the game easier. If you have OCD and have to have EVERY SINGLE PLANT than that's your issue.

            And even then the cost of those items is about what I think the game is worth anyways.

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              September 3, 2013 9:19 PM

              100xthis.

              People are complaining that they can't get every piece of a FREE game. Would you rather they charged $2.99 and you get everything? Jesus.

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                September 4, 2013 8:27 AM

                that would be really cheap but yes i would rather they charge 15 bucks for the sequel and have the same kind of game as PvZ1 with some added improvements. instead they kind of did that but they also put out a game with added tedious gameplay for the sole puprose of fueling microtransactions. hey pay us money or play this annoying shit we added in that should have just been optional.

                i am sure this will work out really well for them financially but as someone that doesn't typically play casual mobile F2P games, i am really disappointed that they went balls to the wall with it.

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            September 3, 2013 11:59 AM

            [deleted]

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              September 3, 2013 8:46 PM

              PvZ2's gameplay is fantastic and fun.

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      September 3, 2013 10:36 AM

      $39.99 is a budget title?

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        September 3, 2013 11:06 AM

        It's only that price for xbox1. It's $30 for pc and other consoles. That's not bad. But if it requires origin for pc, I won't buy it.

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      September 3, 2013 10:40 AM

      Who's budget?

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      September 3, 2013 10:44 AM

      wah wah waaaaaaaah

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      September 3, 2013 12:59 PM

      No SP? :(

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      September 3, 2013 9:21 PM

      40 is a fuckinbudget title now?

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      February 25, 2014 10:27 AM

      Hey i just found some cool stuff for Pvz:Garden Warfare which help you to download it for free.More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwWSS6htBwU

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