Requesting more communication

[ToastedSarnie]

@benn1nat0r It's such a shame 😔

[benn1nat0r]

@ToastedSarnie It is.

[kapkarrot]

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@kapkarrot wrote:
@Iron_Guard8(putting on tin foil hat)

I believe that communication is sparse because BfN is performing below expectations and won't be supported as long-term as initially suggested.

Huge caveat: I have no inside information. I don't review sales graphs, I am not involved in board meetings, and my uncle doesn't work for PopCap.

However, I have been around the block a few times and once got mugged in the alley. I am older gamer, and this pattern is eerily familiar. Updates are weak, bugs are unfixed, and communication is nonexistent. That is very indicative of a game that doesn't have any good news to share. I've seen this with games, comic books, and TV shows. Have you heard the phrase no news is good news? Yeah, that's garbage; don't believe that.

Remember when @spIash_damage posted a list of changes and asked for more communication (it was a wonderful thread)? Well, they responded with a shout-out on the live stream to a similar reddit thread (y'know, the place with all the inappropriate humor and drug references) and never acknowledged the hard work used to compile the information on their own official forums.

And now there is even less communication! Yes, there is a pandemic, and I certainly don't expect a livestream. Yet companies are still making it happen. Twitter is still running, these forums are still open, games are being announced, games are being released, and we even had an EA Play conference today.

I think prize maps will continue for a bit, and we likely get another plant character. I don't expect too much after that. BfN as a live service game? Not feeling it.

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This is a post of mine from almost three months.  I wanted to share this not to say "I told you so" or to rejoice in the game's demise.  Instead, I want gamers to recognize the signs of a dying game.  Maybe it will save them some heartache in the future.

And I was wrong; we did not get another plant character.  That is, a fully customizable plant hero, and not a reworked AI mob.

[dwooten77]

@kapkarrot It’s unfortunate we saw this a long time ago.  Splash called it the first week we played it,  I tried to hang in there with faith but it was short lived.

[Iron_Guard8]

Reading through this again, the lack of communication makes a lot of sense considering the end of new content for BfN. BfN has been plagued with so many issues, that I wasn't hopeful for things to get better, but as I've posted before, PvZ is one of the few IPs I care enough to get involved with this heavily, and I was hoping they'd pull a No Man's Sky, or what I've heard they're doing with Anthem that also had massive issues. 

I've hung on this long as the 2 previous PvZ shooters were excellent and did well enough that you can still play them online right now. BfN did add some cool stuff, like the free roam regions, but it looks like the issues it has brought it down and it must have been under-performing monetarily for them to pull the plug so early. I'll be still playing, I'm going to finish up this month's prize map for sure and level up the characters, but I've been back at GW2 more heavily again and there many other games out there, but I do want to see a new PvZ shooter that brings people back and keeps us engaged in the future. Had this game not been a PvZ game I know I'd not have been here this long, that's for sure, I uninstalled OW at least 2 years ago for various reasons, and haven't regretted that at all. 

So, we can still play all 3 games, which is a good thing to be sure. I hope someday, and the sooner the better, to see a new PvZ shooter with crossplay, less bugs, better Ops, less aggressive monetization, much better promotion than BfN has had, and long term support, and I hope to see all the familiar faces and new ones, when that happens.

[shurikeninja]

@Iron_Guard8The thing about PvZ is that it's not really a dead franchise. There are still a lot of kids who like PvZ, and even for those who grew up, the shooters are for all ages. Of course, if all you release after Heroes are bad games (well I think BFN is pretty good but in the wider community it isn't as popular/well-received), and Heroes gets shut down, people are going to think the franchise has run its course. But there is so much you can do with this universe, so much potential, and that's dissapointing.

So the folks who make the shooters (what I care about) are moving on and trying something new for EA, a revival of a beloved IP. I can't figure out what it is. My only hope is that one day, (maybe even right after Vancouver's next game?) they can "revive" this revered shooter. Hopefully, whenever that is, a lot of people will come back.

[Iron_Guard8]

@shurikeninja I have most of the other games too. The shooters are my favorites of course, but the original PvZ is still fun, PvZ2 was good but I had an account issues of some kind and never got back in and they are selling too many plants for RL money so I stopped, Heroes was good but hasn't been updated in awhile, and PvZ 3 looks like it won't do well. I myself doubt PvZ will die as it has comics still being made, PvZ2 is still making money and I bet that so are both GW games (you can still buy stuff for both games right now as an example). As for BfN, I really wanted to give it some time to grow, remember that GW2 had a lot of haters at launch and had stuff to fix as well, but it's never played as well as those games and while I'm 99% they didn't lose money on the game, they obviously didn't make enough to justify further development. 

A lot of folks seem to feel PvZ is in trouble and I wanted to reinforce that even with the situation we're in now, I want more PvZ, and if we get a new shooter that functions better, and can inspire the same love GW1 and 2 had, I'll be more than ready to play again. It will likely be GW3 rather than BfN 2 (partly to not continue a series where the first game will have the stigma attached to it), but I hope they take all the good from all 3 games into account when they make the next one and give us a blockbuster of a game that truly satisfies the long term fans of the GW games, while also innovating in some ways.

Also, promote it better than BfN! GW and especially GW2 had tons of videos, BfN has 4 I think plus the livestreams? They did have some sponsored YouTube videos out there but not enough for the actual updates and from the devs like GW2 had. 

And they certainly are for all ages! I'm 50, and love PvZ!

[benn1nat0r]

@Iron_Guard8 I would like to add that PvZ 2 actually more than doubled some of the prices in the in-game store. I have some purchase confirmation emails from 1 year after launch that confirm this.
And of course, PvZ is such a unique franchise that appeals to all, no matter the age. I couldn’t agree more on that part.

[TheSprinter85]

Me and my brother really love this franchise, even my younger sister plays PvZ from time to time. I feel that PvZ has always been really enjoyable. It’s such a funny game, also I love experimenting with all of the upgrades.

[PineapplePiano]

@dwooten77 That reminds me, aren't you friends with him? What was his reaction to the game's discontinue?