It's long been assumed that PopCap Games was hard at work on a new Plants vs Zombies game. However, today we found out that the next Plants vs Zombies game is taking a completely unexpected form. Not only will it diverge from its single-player roots, but it will also be debuting exclusively in China.
The press release we received today reads, "PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual video games, today announced details of the exclusive partnership with Renren Inc., a leading social networking platform in China, that will see the first ever social adaptation of PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies™ launch on the Chinese social networking site."
The news is unexpected to say the least. Rather than a full-fledged Plants vs Zombies 2, it appears PopCap has modified the original game heavily in order to become an all-new social-gaming infused mega-beast of incalculable financial power. The game will reportedly feature new content and a bevy of new features that morph it into a full-fledged social game on Renren.com.
"The passion for Plants vs. Zombies here in China is incredible," said James Gwertzman, VP of Asia/Pacific at PopCap Games. "PvZ has tremendous, unprecedented brand awareness and popularity in China with almost one million people already signed up to a PvZ page on Renren.com. There is superb demand for the game and we are excited to deliver the world's first online multiplayer adaptation of Plants vs., Zombies in China very soon."
PopCap releasing a new game for Chinese audiences isn't surprising at all, China has been a burgeoning video gaming powerhouse for years now, but what is surprising is that this is an "exclusive" partnership. It looks like the game may not make it over to the West at all. The nitty-gritty details of the exclusivity wasn't disclosed, but hopefully, the "exclusive partnership" only applies in the South Pacific region or it expires after a set time.
We'll have more on this story as it develops. We've got our fingers crossed that PopCap has some PvZ love in store for their millions of Western fans as well.
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