Plants vs. Zombies 2 soft launches in Australia, New Zealand on Android; global launch coming ‘shortly’

Android gamers itching to get in on some botanical zombie-slaying action won’t have to wait much longer. Plants vs. Zombies 2 has soft launched in Australia and New Zealand, and a full global release is coming “shortly,” according to PopCap Games.

PopCap, a division of publishing giant Electronic Arts, is real-world play-testing the Android version after its successful launch in China last month.

Plants vs. Zombies 2 is a tower defense-style game that pits a time-traveling army of flowers, vegetables, and other foliage against an ever-advancing wall of undead. It’s free to download and play. It launched on iOS on Aug. 15 and has already been downloaded more than 25 million times, surpassing the lifetime downloads of its predecessor, according to mobile analytics firm App Annie.