While fans haven't heard much from PopCap games lately, the studio appears to be hard at work on its popular Plants vs Zombies franchise. The series has split over the years, keeping its strategy focused gameplay on mobile platforms while focusing on third-person action for console and PC players. The formula has proven successful for PopCap and EA over the years, and now thanks to a leak, it looks like fans will be getting even more third-person shooting at some point in the near future.
The leak comes from the Twitter account Uncharted Scopes, who posted a leaked trailer for the currently unannounced Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. EA is clearly not ready to discuss the game at the moment as the first upload of the trailer was quickly taken down, though Uncharted Scopes has again posted another version of the trailer. Part of the reason EA likely wants this trailer removed is that it's not 100% finished, showing artwork where eventual CG will be added in later or sections of the trailer where projectiles have not been added in yet.
Even though the trailer is pretty much all CGI, it does reveal a few new tidbits of information. The Plants appear to have a few more recruits to go along with returning classes including Kernel Corn, Peashooter, and Chomper among others. Fans can get a good look at a Ninja Mushroom, a flying character that's hard to determine what it is, and Acorn. While Acorn is displayed as fast and nimble, it appears to have an ability to call a giant controllable tree that looks like the Torchwood. The trailer showed three acorns calling the mech style tree, so it's possible that it is a co-operative technique.
The Zombies faction also received a few new members to go along with returning favorites like the Foot Soldier and Super Brainz. The trailer highlights a fast moving roller skating zombie that is somewhat reminiscent of the NPC boss, Disco Zombie. The other new Zombie type appears to be a jean jacket and aviator wearing character that has a Gatling gun that shoots rockets. The trailer shows it jumping on top of the weapon and launching the rockets at his enemies.
While the Garden Warfare brand hasn't been seen in four years, the original incarnation of this series was last released back in 2013. Plants vs Zombies 2, while keeping the same strategy style gameplay from the original, was heavily criticized for its excessive monetization practices. With Plants vs Zombies 3 now in a playable pre-alpha build for Android devices, PopCap has confirmed that it won't be monetized for now, though it could be once the game is launched in full. There are also rumors that this latest entry could launch as a free to play game.
Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville currently does not have a release date or any confirmed platforms.