Plants vs. Zombies (video game)

Plants vs. Zombies
Developer(s)	PopCap Games
Publisher(s)	PopCap Games
Designer(s)	George Fan
Programmer(s)	Tod Semple
Artist(s)	Rich Werner
Writer(s)	Stephen Notley
Composer(s)	Laura Shigihara
Series	Plants vs. Zombies
Engine	PopCap Framework
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows macOS iOS/iPadOS Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Nintendo DS DSiWare Android Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile PlayStation Vita BlackBerry Tablet OS BlackBerry 10
Release	May 5, 2009 Windows, macOS JP: March 18, 2009 WW: May 5, 2009 iOS JP: January 18, 2010 WW: February 15, 2010 (iPhone/iPod Touch) iOS (iPad)/iPadOS WW: April 5, 2010 Xbox 360 WW: September 8, 2010 JP: February 2, 2011 Nintendo DS NA: January 18, 2011 PAL: May 6, 2011 JP: March 14, 2012 PlayStation Network WW: February 8, 2011 JP: November 11, 2011 DSiWare NA: March 14, 2011 PAL: May 6, 2011 JP: May 28, 2012 Android WW: May 31, 2011 (Amazon Appstore) WW: December 14, 2011 (Google Play) Kindle Fire WW: November 14, 2011 Windows Phone WW: June 23, 2011 Nook HD WW: November 11, 2011 PlayStation Vita NA: February 21, 2012 EU: February 22, 2012 BlackBerry 10 WW: January 30, 2013 JP: April 16, 2014
Genre(s)	Tower defense, strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense video game developed and published by PopCap Games. It was created in 2009. Plants vs. Zombies was first released for Windows and Mac OS X, and it has been ported to consoles, handhelds, and mobile devices. In this game, the player is a homeowner who must defend against a zombie apocalypse. Zombies appear on multiple lanes that can reach the player's house. The player defends by placing plants that attack zombies. Plants can be bought with a currency called sun. If a zombie makes it to the house on any lane, the player loses and must restart the level.

Plants vs. Zombies was designed by George Fan. He initially was going to make a game that would be a more defense-oriented game sequel to his fish simulator game Insaniquarium. During development, he converted it into a tower defense game featuring plants fighting against zombies. The game takes inspiration from multiple games and movies. It took three and a half years to make Plants vs. Zombies. Rich Werner was the main artist, Tod Semple programmed the game, and Laura Shigihara composed the game's music. In order to make the game interesting for casual and hardcore gamers, the tutorial was designed to be simple and spread throughout Plants vs. Zombies.

Plants vs. Zombies was given positive reviews by critics. The game was also nominated for multiple awards, including "Download Game of the Year" and "Strategy Game of the Year" as part of Golden Joystick Awards 2010. Reviewers praised the game's humorous art style, simplistic but engaging gameplay, and soundtrack. When it was released in May 2009, it was the fastest-selling video game developed by PopCap Games and quickly became their best-selling game, much faster than Bejeweled and Peggle. By 2010, Plants vs. Zombies had sold over a million copies worldwide.

In 2011, PopCap was bought by Electronic Arts (EA). Electronic Arts had fired George Fan and 49 other employees. Since then, it has marked the transition to mobile and social gaming. After EA bought PopCap Games, Plants vs. Zombies has grown into an entire franchise. This includes two direct sequels, three third-person shooters, and two spin-offs.

Gameplay

In Plants vs. Zombies, the player takes on the role of a homeowner in a suburban neighborhood who must defend their house from zombies with the help of various plants. The game is divided into several levels, each taking place in a different location around the house. The player must plant various types of plants, each with their own unique abilities, to defend against waves of zombies that approach from the right side of the screen.