Zombie Farms, one of the most popular iPhone games, received tremendous support from fans throughout its lifetime. Unfortunately, the developers removed the game from App Store in May 2017 following the controversial sale of the game’s rights to Behaviour Interactive.
The move confused the ever-growing fandom of the game. After all, it had millions of players competing against cartoonized zombies every day. In the official statement, the developers of the game did not cite any reason either.
So when, one day, the game simply disappeared out of the blue, fans were agitated. Many even started online petitions demanding the revival of their favorite internet game. Unfortunately, all the pleas fell on deaf ears.
It’s 2022 now, and people are asking the same question – is Zombie Farm still available? We’re here to answer that question and many others.
What is Zombie Farm?
Like playing zombie games but also want something light-hearted to go with that theme? Zombie Farm provided the perfect solution for that.
PlayForge, one of the most popular internet game developers, added Zombie Farm to their collection in February 2010. Within one year, the game amassed more than 7.3 million downloads on iTunes App Store alone, a marvelous feat.
The game hit the market at a time when iPhone gaming was lagging a bit behind Android. There weren’t a lot of smooth-running, popular, and glitch-free games designed solely for the Apple iPhone. But with the arrival of Zombie Farm, that changed.
Sure, the game still had a lot of core issues. But they weren’t anything major. Nothing that the developers couldn’t fix in a new update.
The light-hearted zombie game was vastly different from the other apocalyptic role-plays that followed a zombie-infested timeline. Here, the game was basically a mix between Siege and Farmville, two of the most popular games of that era.
The developers hit a masterstroke with this invention. People went crazy after the game. Kids, teenagers, and adults alike became obsessed and addicted, something that we shouldn’t promote in the gaming world. Nonetheless, Zombie Farm became immensely popular.
The Gameplay
When you think of a zombie game, you would expect a lot of bloodshed, serious graphics, and a dreary undertone.
Zombie Farm was none of that. Sure, it was a Zombie Game. But the gameplay was unconventional for the theme it followed.
Firstly, the developers launched it as an RPG. They revealed this through the game’s initial trailer. The goal of the player was to create a form of plants, crops, and zombies to attack the enemies. After attacking, players could loot money and brains from the enemy farm.
Yes, you heard us right. In Zombie Farm, you could even harvest zombies alongside regular crops on your farm. Sounds pretty abnormal, doesn’t it?
But that is exactly what made Zombie Farm so appealing. It provided a competitive edge while keeping things dorky with cute character designs and unconventional storylines. This was the only zombie game back then that kids could play without becoming violent.
Characters & Farms
Zombie Farm also gave its players the incentive to keep going by allowing customization options. For example, players could expand and decorate their respective farms. They could do so by exchanging the only two currencies available in the game – money, and brains.
There were also different types of zombies that players could plant on their farms. For example, there was the “Flower Zombie” with extra fertilizing powers. That type of zombie had petals around their head, making the character look gimmicky and somewhat cute.
You also had the option to plant the “Cupid Zombie”, the cutest little zombie plant with blonde hair and small wings. It had the power to heal your characters and make them ready for attack once more.
It’s safe to say that the presence of these cute and unconventional characters made Zombie Farm all that attractive. It was almost like Pokémon but with zombies instead of mutated creatures. The ability to create farms also gave a personal touch to the game.
Either way, fans weren’t happy when the game disappeared off the face of the internet in 2017.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: SHEIN Sunglasses Update
Why Did They Take Away Zombie Farm?
We talked about the game’s immense popularity. It’s no easy feat to record more than 7 million downloads on a single platform within one year of the game’s release. But that is exactly what Zombie Farm achieved.
If the game was so popular and successful, why did the developers have to shut it down in 2017? Let’s find out.
Unsolved Issues
Remember how Zombie Farm came at a time when iPhone gaming wasn’t all that good? Because of that, the game had lots of basic issues. But because there weren’t any major problems, users did not mind playing with some glitches.
Either way, they expected that the game developers and PlayForge will fix the issues in the next update. However, that never happened.
Updates rolled by and whistled past, but the issues remained as prevalent as ever. These were minor bugs that any competent developer could solve in a matter of hours. But the game continued to exist without any solutions from the developer’s end.
When the issues became persistent, players grew tired of playing the same thing over and over again. After all, even the most interesting things become boring after a while. The game took a major hit in terms of popularity within two or three years of its inception.
As a result, PlayForge had to make some strict and untimely decisions. The first one came on October 25, 2013. At that time, the developers decided to lay off staff working on the Zombie Farm franchise. They also decided to stop any future updates and development on the game.
But this was after the release of Zombie Farm 2. Oh, yes; the game had a sequel. Let’s learn more about that.
Zombie Farm 2 – A Last-Ditch Attempt to Save Face
When Zombie Farm started receiving backlash from its fans, the developers decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.
They revamped the entire game and made some changes and fixes along the way. After the update, they started calling it Zombie Farm 2, which became the official name of the popular sequel.
Unfortunately, Zombie Farm 2 wasn’t nearly as appealing as the first version. Why? Because people anticipated huge changes and fixes. However, the core issues found in the first game were still not addressed in the update.
People also found out that there are no major changes in the gameplay. The users who got bored of the first version wanted something spicy in the new update. The developers, it seemed, disappointed them.
Users noted that Zombie Farm 2 had no upgrades. The only major change was that Zombie Farm 2 came with a Facebook connection. In other words, players could now log in to Zombie Farm and play it through their Facebook accounts, quite like Candy Crush and other similar games.
Needless to say, the fans were not impressed.
RECOMMENDED: What Happened to Nickelodeon
The Unsuccessful Takeover
Zombie Farm became one of the most popular gaming franchises under the leadership of PlayForge. The company was a seasoned expert when it came to developing trendy online games.
It was under their ownership that the game recorded 7.3 million downloads within one year on a single platform. People had lots of expectations from Zombie Farm because they knew PlayForge would come rolling in with better updates.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
After the game’s release and initial success, the company decided to sell the game’s rights to Behaviour Interactive, another famous video game developer. But as per the game’s oldest fans, the new company did not come with noble intentions.
They certainly did not fix the many issues and bugs that fans often complained about. For example, many Reddit users were constantly harping about how long it took to grow zombie plants. This was the primary reason why many fans grew impatient with the game and stopped playing it altogether.
There were other such issues too. Users had the right to ask the parent company of the game to fix these issues. Behaviour Interactive, however, did not do anything.
According to multiple Zombie Farm fans, the company was only there to milk the leftover profits from the game. And once it was clear that Zombie Farm is no longer profitable, the company decided to end operations.
That is exactly what happened in May 2017. Behaviour Interactive decided it was time to stop supporting Zombie Farm. They shut down the game’s servers, and it became inaccessible to users.
Zombie Farm Alternatives
Nostalgia hitting you too hard?
After all, 2010 was a good year. An exciting FIFA World Cup, the release of the first iPad; maybe the Swine Flu pandemic was a bit over the top. Nonetheless, it was a good year, topped off further by the introduction of Zombie Farm.
Unfortunately, you can’t play Zombie Farm anymore. But are there any games like Zombie Farm that you can enjoy to get a little blast from the past?
Let’s find out.
1. Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies is the closest imitation of Zombie Farm that we could remember. It is a tower defense video game developed by PopCap.
Here, you have to defend your home against a Zombie invasion. You have an arsenal full of zombie-threatening plants. Use different plants on your farm like peashooters, cherry bombs, and so on to thwart the waves of zombies trying to break into your home.
2. Let’s Farm!
If farming and growing crops were your ideas of having fun in Zombie Farm, then this is definitely the perfect game for you.
The game allows players to create their own farms, expand them, and grow plants in them. The better your farm is, the more money you’ll get in exchange for your crops and plants. Ultimately, the objective is to collect enough cash and riches to constantly upgrade your farm to its full potential.
3. Royal Revolt
Royal Revolt is another mobile game with 3D graphics. The stark difference between this game and Zombie Farm is the absence of both zombies and farms.
However, there are many similarities as well. For one, the game follows a tower-defense theme. Here, you shall lead your troops and armies to attack your greedy relatives who have usurped your father’s throne.
Sounds exciting? Because it is!
4. Farm Up
Another game that lacks zombies, Farm Up nonetheless offers a close resemblance to Zombie Farm. The strategy-based game allows users to create their own farms.
From there, they have to figure out the best way to grow the best and most expensive crops. The objective is to reap maximum profits from their farms at every turn.
5. Zombie Road Rage
If you were a fan of Zombie Farm’s quirky graphics and funny characters, this is a good game for you.
In Zombie Road Rage, you will play as an awesome trucker who is keen on taking on the Zombie Apocalypse single-handedly. Battle and crash into waves of hungry and angry zombies to win the game.
Winding Up
Zombie Farm was one of the top mobile games of all time. It had everything that users wanted – excitement, fun, and quirkiness.
Unfortunately, poor mismanagement from the owners led to the game’s untimely demise.
