Plants Vs Zombies 3 is shutting down for 'major overhaul'

EA has announced that Plants Vs Zombies 3 will no longer be playable from November 15, with the publisher removing the game from app stores today so that it can undergo "a major overhaul".

The tower defense threequel soft launched in January,  but received an unenthusiastic response from players over the last nine months. Users on Reddit and beyond have heavily criticized Plant Vs Zombies 3, citing poor technical performance and off-putting aggressive pay-to-win mechanics.

EA released a blog post stating that it will continue to work on the game, offering no target date for a re-launch. "We're excited to re-tool the game and bring you an even better PvZ3 experience soon! In the meantime, keep an eye on our social channels for updates."

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The mass layoffs that have swept the industry also affected EA earlier this year. In February, EA announced that it was laying off 5% of its workforce, despite its executives earning $60 million the same fiscal year.

The Madden publisher has stated that it is undergoing a restructuring and implementing a change in strategy, moving away from developing licensed games after the third game in its Jedi trilogy. The Respawn-developed Jedi duology has amassed over 40 million players to date.