The official release for Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is almost a month away, but it's already been discounted by 15% on both the PS4 and Xbox One.
When George Fan presented the concept of Plants Vs. Zombies to PopCap Games, he had no idea just how successful of a franchise it would become. When Plants Vs. Zombies released on May 5, 2009, it received worldwide acclaim and became the fastest-selling PopCap game of all time, shipping 300,000 copies in just nine days after its release. Despite the game's success, it would take Fan five years to create his next installment in the series, aptly named Plants Vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time. While the second installment garnered criticism for its use of in-app purchases, it would go on to become the most successful EA mobile launch title of all time, having been downloaded over 25 million times just fifteen days after its worldwide release.
Though the first two titles in the series saw unprecedented success, the third game would have lackluster sales in comparison, having only 8 million players nearly a year after its release. Now, with the official release of Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville less than a month away, the cost of preorders on both the Xbox One and PS4 has been reduced by fifteen percent.
It's never easy to create a sequel, but in the case of Plants Vs. Zombies it appears that Fan and PopCap have been able to create well-received follow-ups to the first title. Given the drop in the game's player base with the third title, it appears the price reduction on preorders is a direct attempt by PopCap and EA to generate more interest.
Information related to the price reduction comes from Game Idealist, who reveals that prospective consumers can preorder a discounted physical copy of the game through Amazon. Initially, the game retailed for $39.99, but now, according to Amazon, those looking to preorder the game can do so at a price of just $32.75. The price reduction is only in effect for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, with the PC variant still listed at the original price point.
It's unclear if the price reduction will be applied across the board but given Popcap's reputation, it would be hard to imagine that PC owners won't be afforded the same benefit.
Price reductions happen all the time, but it's very rare to have them happen before a game is released. While the franchise has remained popular, this latest news could indicate that pre-orders for the game have not meant initial projections.
Sometimes a franchise overstays its welcome and this could be the case when it comes to Plants Vs. Zombies. If Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville fails to meet EA's expectations it could cause Fan and PopCap to take the series in a different direction going forward.