New Plants vs. Zombies Game Surprise Launches

Electronic Arts stealth released a new Plants vs. Zombies game on Wednesday called Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. The game has been released in an early access version on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms with the full release planned for October 18th. It's got multiplayer, different game modes, and gives players the chance to explore Neighborville by playing as different characters from the plants and zombies factions. Electronic Arts' surprise announcement gave a first look at the new Plants vs. Zombies gameplay and told fans how they can get started now.

The new Plants vs. Zombies game that's now officially been revealed has been the subject of leaks and speculations in the past few weeks. Trademarks and leaked trailers hinted at the announcement of the game, but the gameplay trailer above has officially confirmed that it's real. The trailer shows split-screen gameplay and how the new characters fit into teams as well as what the various parts of Neighborville look like.

"Welcome to Neighborville, where all is well," a description of the game's trailer reads. "Except that a crazy new coniferous conflict between brain-less and botanicals is brewing! What are you gonna do – call the crops? Soil your plants? Prepare to kick some grass as a Founding Neighbor in the craziest conflict."

The "Founding Neighbor" bit is how you'll be able to play the game now instead of waiting for its full release on October 18th. By purchasing this $29.99 version of the game, you'll be able to play for six weeks leading up to the October release. Founding Neighbor benefits include the Founder's price which will be raised to $39.99 when the standard game releases, rewards, and a Discord channel where players can interact with the developers.

The content that's in the game is final though, Electronic Arts said, so don't expect these conversations with the devs to lead to new game modes or those types of changes.

"Keep in mind, PvZ: Battle for Neighborville's modes and features are already final," Electronic Arts said. "By giving our biggest fans a chance to come in now, we'll be polishing performance as you play to ensure our scaled experience is running at peak levels for launch and beyond, making the PvZ: Battle for Neighborville experience the best it can be."

More information on the new Plants vs. Zombies game can be found through Electronic Arts' site with updates expected to be shared first on social media.