Plants Vs Zombies Artists Ignored

Announced at the Nintendo Direct, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted delighted fans but disappointed the original game’s artists. Developed by PopCap Games and The Lost Pixels, the remake is coming to PC and consoles on October 23, 2025. However, the first game’s art director, Rich Werner, and background artist Enrique Corts, stated that they were not informed about the project and had no opportunity to contribute.

The Plants vs. Zombies Team Remained Silent

Werner shared his feelings in a post after the announcement, saying, “I just saw the PVZ reboot announcement. It’s welcome news, but I wish someone had contacted me. I would have loved to contribute.” Background artist Enrique Corts, however, expressed his discomfort when he saw the HD remastered artwork and stated that he could have taken on the task himself. The duo stated that bringing the old team together to create new content would be much more meaningful for both the team spirit and the fans.

Werner also reacted to a new art and concept archive on the game’s Steam page, featuring “never-before-seen sketches and game history.” The artist, who denied knowing the source of this content, stated that he learned his work had been reused without any further information about the project. The backlash wasn’t limited to former team members. The Binding of Isaac developer Edmund McMillen also expressed his disapproval with the simple yet meaningful comment, “Dude…”

EA’s decision sparked considerable backlash on social media and was widely condemned as unethical by a large segment of the gaming community. Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, touted as “bigger, brighter, crazier” in its launch, is technically an exciting remake, but the disregard for its creators has sparked an ethical debate in gaming. EA has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

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