 | Digital Release: | PlayStation 3 February 8, 2011 (US) February 9, 2011 (EU) PlayStation Vita February 21, 2012 (US) February 22, 2012 (AU, EU) |
| Delisting: | February 26th, 2015 |
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| Developer: | PopCap | |
| Publisher: | Sony Online Entertainment/Daybreak Game Company | |
| Available On: | PC (Steam, EA Access, Web) Nintendo DS (Retail) Xbox 360 Mobile (iOS, Android) |
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| Links: | PlayStation Store Page (US) |
Delisting
Plants vs. Zombies on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita was delisted no later than February 26th, 2015 and is one of many delisted titles from the studio formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment.
The Dawning of Daybreak
It was confirmed on February 2nd, 2015 that Sony had sold its internal development studio, Sony Online Entertainment, to the investment firm Columbus Nova. The studio was renamed Daybreak Game Company and their focus shifted entirely to multiplayer online games.
“This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company,” said SOE/Daybreak President John Smedley.
By February 11th Columbus Nova had laid off an unconfirmed number of Daybreak employees in a move to “rationalize the business” including EverQuest lead, David Georgeson. In July, John Smedley stepped down as President amid personal attacks by the hacker group Lizard Squad and had resigned from the company by August 24th, 2015.
Daybreak Delistings
With the change in corporate identity from SOE to Daybreak the licensing deals on existing games would need to be renewed or renegotiated. Between their focus on online games and the decrease in staff and budget it is assumed that Daybreak let many of these licenses expire. After the acquisition in February of 2015 the following SOE published titles were delisted:
- Plants vs. Zombies (February, EU/US)
- Acceleration of SUGURI X-Edition (August, US)
- The Gundemonium Collection (October, AU/EU/US):
- Crescent Pale Mist (November, US)
- Qlione Evolve (December, US)
- Akimi Village (March 2016, EU/US)
The following titles were delisted within the year preceding the sale of Sony Online Entertainment and may have been the first victims of the impending acquisition even before it was finalized:
- TerRover (Late 2014)
- Swords & Soldiers (December 2014)
What Still Remains
Not all former SOE titles have been delisted. Daybreak’s name currently appears on DC Universe Online, H1Z1, PlanetSide 2 and both EverQuest titles. Smaller releases including Rochard, Field Commander, Untold Legends, Switchball, Cash Guns Chaos, Sideway New York and Payday: The Heist remain available on the PlayStation Store in North America as of June 2016.
About the Game
Get ready to soil your plants with multiplayer action! A mob of fun-loving zombies is about to invade your home. Defend it with an arsenal of home-guardin’ plants to mulchify zombies before they reach your front door. Get twice the zombie-zapping action with 2-player Versus and Co-op modes. We’re loaded with seven game modes, new rabble-rousing features, and unlimited replayable action… so the fun never dies!
Features
- 50 Adventure Levels: Battle zombies in the day, night, fog, even on the rooftop
- Five Original Modes: Adventure, Puzzle, Mini-Games, Survival and Zen Garden
- Co-op and Versus Modes: Team up with a friend or challenge them and choose your side — plants or zombies
- 21 Mini-Games: Fight the fun-dead in minigames like Zombatany, Wall-nut Bowling and Heavy Weapon
- Interactive Leaderboard: Upgrade to bigger & better houses as you progress and stroll through the leaderboard neighborhood to see your friends’ digs
- 12 Trophies: Earn awesome ornaments to decorate you