'Plants vs. Zombies' Creator Fired by EA, PopCap
Following widespread rumors about the original "Plants vs. Zombies" creator George Fan,'s termination, he took to Twitter to confirm that he was terminated by Electronic Arts several years ago.
"Regarding recent rumors, it is true I was laid off by EA/PopCap, and also true that I was against making PvZ2 a freemium game. That's all I'll say on the matter for now," Fan tweeted.
EA severed ties with the game creator several years ago, but his story was only recently revealed. It was the developer's friend, Edmund McMillen, who narrated the news during Alex Larrabee's Roundtable Podcast.
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According to McMillen, the studio sought for Fan specifically, so he can work on "Plants vs. Zombies" with a small team. The franchise went on to be a huge success, and its publisher EA eventually gained full control of the franchise after it acquired PopCap back in 2011. When its sequel "Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time" was in the works, they proposed in-app purchasing, which Fan objected to. Eventually, he was fired for doing so.
"This is such a newsworthy thing and it's frustrated me for years that there aren't news stories about this," said McMillen.
Call it karma or coincidence, but EA recently came under fire for their insistence on adding what players are calling a "pay to win" system to the much-anticipated second installment of "Star Wars Battlefront."
EA was forced to take down premium transactions due to public outcry and because of the seemingly never-ending influx of negative reviews that such a system has spawned. Without the in-game purchases players are still stuck with having to spend long hours to earn enough credits to acquire loot boxes that contain the heroes and whatever else they need to progress, that is, if they do not know about the rubber band trick.
More recently players have found a way to thrive in "Star Wars: Battlefront 2." By tying rubber bands to controllers, players can keep their characters, avoid being kicked out because of inactivity, and farm the much-needed credits.
"Star Wars: Battlefront 2" is currently available.
