The new Plants vs. Zombies DLC is a slap in the face to fans and consumers. Back in the old days, video games were a one-and-done purchase. You buy a game, that's the game you'll own forever. Around the PS3/Xbox 360 era, console gaming introduced the concept of DLC. While full-fledged expansions had long been a mainstay in the PC space, it was a new concept for many players, and nearly every video game featured some type of post-launch content, from premium map packs to story-based add-ons.
The landscape is different now and has been for a while. Many multiplayer games release their online expansions for free, with Call of Duty, the lone holdout, finally joining the "free multiplayer maps" bandwagon with their latest entry, Modern Warfare. These days, games are monetized with loot boxes, premium currency, direct purchase of cosmetics, and – sometimes – pay-to-win mechanics. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, however, takes a different approach. Their monetization plan is pure, plain, unabashed trickery. With the Season's Eatingz Edition of their popular online shooter, EA lays bare everything wrong with the video game industry.
Season's Eatingz isn't an expansion, and to call it a DLC would be beyond generous. It's nothing but a handful of superfluous cosmetic options, and absolutely nothing more. The trickery comes in the timing. This new "DLC" was released alongside the Season's Eatingz event in the main game. Battle for Neighborville is an always-online "Games as Service" title that is constantly being updated with new features, maps, and cosmetics, designed to keep players engaged day after day until the next game comes out. There's nothing inherently wrong with this approach, and it actually suits a competitive game like Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborhood quite well. The issue comes with the fact that this $10 DLC presents itself as an "upgrade," and upgrades are are seen as essential purchases for anyone who wants to keep up to date with any "live service" game. Except, of course, it's not an upgrade. It's a bundle of worthless digital tchotchkes. It's like going to JFK airport and paying to upgrade your flight, but all they do give you a Statue of Liberty keychain.
Not only is this $10 DLC pack hilariously expensive and deceptive in what it offers, it can also be bundled with the base game, with no additional discount. The main game, by itself, is $40. The "Season's Eatingz Edition" costs $50. The perception is that the "Season's Eatingz" version is more complete, even though there's absolutely no difference, save for a pittance of utterly disposable cosmetic options. It's a shady business practice, but EA surely figures they can get away with resorting to outright trickery to get consumers to purchase this content because the game isn't technically a full-priced, $60 game.
This whole fiasco is truly a shame, since Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville is still a really fun game. It's got a massive suite of online options, tons of playable classes, and the Destiny-lite co-op play is bolstered by some truly unique and inventive boss battles. The Season's Eatingz live event isn't the most boisterous "Season of Content" we've ever seen, but the snowy revamp of the main hub area is a visual delight and the holiday-themed cosmetic offerings are nifty, even if PvZ's complicated in-game economy is as frustratingly obtuse as ever.
Earlier this year, EA made headlines with their statement that their big holiday title, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, would be completely devoid of microtransactions. While the news was met with positive feedback, it felt disconcerting to praise EA for essentially saying, "Hey, you know that thing we do that everyone hates? Check it out: we're not going to do it this one time." With the Season's Eatingz DLC for Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, EA is sending a clear message: they will disguise their microtransactions as legitimate DLC and attempt to trick their fans into buying worthless junk at a premium price point.
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.