Bejeweled 3 New game screenshots - DS PS3 Online X360

PopCap Celebrates Bejeweled's 10th Birthday with Year-Long Celebration, 50 Millionth Unit Sold

Most Popular Puzzle Game Series of the 21st Century Selling Faster Today than Ever; Anniversary Festivities Will Include New Installments, Competitions, Contests, Etc.
PopCap Games announce it will mark the 10th birthday of its flagship franchise Bejeweled with a 10-month long celebration beginning today.

Tetris, Bejeweled, Need For Speed and The Sims 3 Now Available For BlackBerry Smartphones

EA Mobile announced eight new titles available on BlackBerry including globally renowned mobile titles: Bejeweled, Need for Speed Undercover, RISK, SCRABBLE (in the US and Canada only), Tetris, Tetris Mania, The Sims 3, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR.

“We are excited to bring some of EA Mobile’s most popular franchises to the BlackBerry App World where BlackBerry customers can easily download them from one location,” said Adam Sussman, VP Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. “We look for the BlackBerry App World to become an important channel for EA Mobile, providing convenient access of our great games to BlackBerry customers everywhere.”

“Gaming on BlackBerry smartphones continues to grow in popularity. EA Mobile has optimized some terrific games for the BlackBerry platform and users will be thrilled to have these new titles available on BlackBerry App World,” said Tyler Lessard, Vice President, Global Alliances and Developer Relations at Research In Motion.

Women Choose "Casual" Videogames Over TV; 100 Million+ Women Now Play Regularly, For Different Reasons Than Men

The Largest-Ever Survey of Casual Game Players Yields Surprising Data: 76% of Players are Female, 89% Are 30 or Older, and Nearly All Women Derive Stress Relief From Play; Psychologist Dr. Carl Arinoldo Explains.

Seattle, Washington - October 2, 2006 - Of the tens of millions of women who play family-friendly, non-violent puzzle, word and simple action games on the computer regularly, more of them consider playing such games "an important leisure time activity" than alternatives such as watching television - and just about anything else - according to a recent survey of nearly 2,200 consumers.

PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today unveiled the "male/female" segmentation results of the largest survey of players of "casual" computer/videogames ever conducted. The survey found that 76% of casual game players are female, with an average age of 48, and fully 90% of female players say they derive stress relief from playing the games, while 73% identified "cognitive exercise (mental workouts)" as a benefit. With an estimated 150 million consumers now enjoying casual games on a regular basis, the survey places the number of female casual gamers at 100 - 110 million.

Comparing the responses of the 1,663 women who answered the survey to those of the 528 men who participated yields some surprising contrasts in terms of how, why and when consumers of each gender play casual games. Following are segmentations of the survey specific to the differences between male and female casual game players, as well as the key differences between older and younger women who play these games.

Motives For Playing: 89% of players overall indicated they experienced stress relief from playing casual games and 74% of all respondents cited mental exercise as a benefit. But women in particular said the games provided distraction (30%) as well as actual relief (9%) from chronic pain and/or fatigue - compared to 20% and 6% of men, respectively, who named those as benefits. When asked to name the single most important reason for playing, the top three choices by women were stress relief (44%), entertainment (17%) and mental workouts (16%). Men also named stress relief most frequently in their responses, but only 33% of them selected that choice.

Dr. Carl Arinoldo, a Stony Brook NY-based psychologist of 25 years and an author and expert on stress management who has played casual games and advocates them as a source of both stress relief and cognitive exercise, was not surprised by the overall survey results, or the disparity between the responses of men and women. "Casual word and puzzle computer games, such as 'Bookworm' and 'Bejeweled' can actually develop new cellular brain connections thereby helping to keep the healthy brain active and vital," he stated. "And by seriously attending to the word and puzzle games, people can control stress by cognitively 'blocking out' the negative stresses of the day and ultimately train themselves to do this more reflexively. Furthermore, women tend to be more in touch with their feelings and more introspective than men, generally speaking, so it's logical that when they're feeling stressed women would more readily seek out some sort of remedy such as playing casual computer games."

Other Male/Female Differences: While the overall audience for casual games is predominantly female, the percentage of women under 40 who play casual games (25%) is significantly smaller than men under 40 (37%). Further, of those men who do play casual games, their history of playing such games is generally much longer than their female counterparts' - 61% of men said they have been playing casual games for 5 years or more, while only 46% of women said they'd been playing that long. However, female casual gamers are making up for lost time by playing more frequently and for longer periods of time: 60% of all female casual gamers say they play on a daily basis, compared to 44% of men, and 29% of women casual gamers say they play for 10 or more hours per week compared to 22% of men.

Game Genre Preferences: Finally, the types of casual games enjoyed by each gender were significantly different: while men chose more game genres and identified simple sports, war, role-playing and other simulations between 14% and 18% of the time, women cited those genres only 1% to 9% of the time (including 1% of women choosing "war/combat" games, compared to 18% of men). Women named "puzzle" (87%), "word games" (66%) "arcade" (60%) and "card games" (53%) as their top genres, compared to 79%, 47%, 62% and 45% of men choosing those respective genres.

Older Women vs. Younger Women: There were a number of sizable differences in the responses from women aged 50 and over and their younger counterparts. 67% of women aged 50 or older said they play casual games on a daily basis, compared to 54% of women under 50 (and 46% of women under 40). By the same token, 34% of women aged 50 or older stated they spend 10 or more hours a week playing casual games, as compared to 27% of women under 50 (and just 17% of women under 30).

Leisure Time Priorities: When asked to identify "important" leisure time activities from among more than a dozen common such activities listed, overall survey respondents picked "playing casual computer games" (75%) more than any other choice, including "reading a book, newspaper or magazine" (73%), "spending time with friends or family" (70%), "watching television or movies" (69%) or "listening to music or the radio" (57%). While those top two responses tied for the most important leisure time activity among female survey subjects with 76% each (with 73% of women choosing "spending time with friends and family"), men chose "spending time with friends or family" only 58% of the time, less than the amount who named "watching television or movies" (68%). "Women tend to be both more socially oriented and interactive than men, and also somewhat more family-oriented, so the difference in the value placed on spending time with friends and family is understandable," noted Dr. Arinoldo.

There were also very sizable discrepancies in the types of casual games that older and younger women said they enjoy playing: only 18% of women aged 50 or older selected simple action games as one of their genre preferences, compared to 47% of women under 50. And while 58% of women aged 50 or older named card games as a genre they enjoyed, only 48% of women under 50 (and 37% of women under 30) did so. When asked about the single most important sensation they hoped to experience while playing casual games, the top two choices among women aged 50 or older were stress relief (41%) and cognitive exercise (22%), while women under 50 named stress relief (47%) and entertainment (19%). For all female age groups, stress relief was the single-most important reason for playing.

Survey Methodology: This international research was conducted by Information Solutions Group, www.infosolutionsgroup.com on behalf of PopCap Games. The overall results are based upon online surveys completed by 2,191 randomly selected respondents, including 1,663 women. The survey occurred between the dates of August 11th and August 21st 2006. In theory, in 19 cases out of 20, the results will differ by no more than 1.9 percentage points, and +/- 2.2 for a sample of 1,663 women from what would have been obtained by seeking out and polling all PopCap.com visitors age 18 and over. Smaller subgroups reflect larger margins of sampling error. In addition to sampling error, there may exist other sources of error. For example, variations in the order of questions or wording within the questionnaire may contribute to different results.

About PopCap: PopCap Games, www.popcap.com is the leading multi-platform provider of "casual games" — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 120 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 350 million times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.

Bejeweled Twist now available on PC CD-ROM

The most popular casual game franchise of the 21st century is back, and you’ve never seen it like this before! Focus Multimedia, the UK’s leading publisher of PC value and casual games, is pleased to announce the release of Bejeweled Twist at UK retail.

Bejeweled Twist is another product of Focus Multimedia’s successful partnership with PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games. To date, 15 PopCap titles have now been launched in the UK and Ireland by Focus.

Adding a “twist” to Bejeweled’s tale, the new game mechanic is fresh and exciting, while still retaining all of the features which have made the casual game franchise one of the best-loved of all time.

The challenging new style of gameplay removes the barriers of traditional match-3 games. Instead of swapping adjacent jewels to make a match, players rotate an entire 2x2 block of gems clockwise in an effort to create a line of three or more gems of the same type.

Also, it’s no longer necessary to make a match with every move – instead gems can be freely rotated anywhere on the board. This allows for greater liberty of movement and adds a more strategic element to the game. Players can now plan combinations, cascades and chains in advance, making the resulting explosions and high scores much more rewarding.

Bejeweled Twist has four modes of play. Classic and Zen modes are available from the beginning and the others are unlocked as you progress through the game:
• Classic: Classic features Bomb gems that tick down to a deadly detonation. You need to clear them before they hit zero or it's game over!
• Zen: You literally can't lose in this free-form mode. Explore dozens of alien worlds as you hone your gem-matching skills without the pressure of obstacles or time.
• Blitz: You have just five minutes to get the best score you can.
• Challenge: Designed for the serious problem-solver, Challenge mode offers a dozen separate puzzle worlds, each with seven levels of difficulty and a final infinite stage.

With endless rewards, constant surprises and all-new elements, the latest incarnation of the classic puzzle game will impress existing fans of the franchise and also entice new players to boost the ranks of over 350 million worldwide.

So if you’re looking for a chance to shine, grab your copy of Bejeweled Twist today! But beware, you’ll be rotating gems until the wee hours, muttering “Just five more minutes…”

Bejeweled Twist joins Focus Multimedia’s Essential range of great value PC games and software. Every Focus Essential title has the suggested retail price of just £9.78 including VAT.

Bejeweled Twist video game - mobile version announced

Mobile Version of Latest Bejeweled Installment Revolutionizes Fun On-the-Go, a Brilliant New Way to Play

A remarkably faithful translation of its highly acclaimed Bejeweled Twist game will be available to a wide array of handsets from major North American and European wireless carriers in Q2 2009.

PopCap's fourth in-house title for mobile – and the first new Bejeweled title in more than three years – Bejeweled Twist puts a completely new spin on the top-selling puzzle franchise of the 21st century. Since its launch on the PC six weeks ago, Bejeweled Twist has been a top-seller at retail and has garnered glowing critiques from media outlets of all kinds. Additionally, Bejeweled Mobile was the No2 best-selling game in North America in 2007 and held that spot through Q3 2008


"Gamers anxiously awaited the launch of Bejeweled Twist on the PC, and it has more than lived up to players' expectations, which is why we're thrilled to bring an amazingly accurate translation to the mobile market, featuring all the same game modes and challenges as the original," stated Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development at PopCap. "Bejeweled Twist is a rare achievement in the casual games category: accessible to novice players, but with unmatched challenge and flexibility in its gameplay. The mobile version is well suited for gaming on-the-go, offering four distinct ways to play from fast-paced action and strategy to a stress-busting, Zen-like experience."

Bejeweled Twist features a revolutionary new style of play and the highest production values of any casual game ever created, and removes the barriers of traditional match-3 games. Instead of swapping adjacent jewels to make a set, players rotate an entire 2x2 block of gems clockwise in an effort to create a line of three or more gems of the same type. Additionally, in Bejeweled Twist, players don't have to make a match with every move – instead they can freely rotate gems anywhere on the board, allowing far greater liberty of movement and vastly increased strategic freedom to plan combinations, cascades and chains.

Beyond the completely different method of moving gems, Bejeweled Twist provides a wealth of new power-ups and obstacles. New gem types include Flame, Lightning and Fruit gems that produce fiery explosions and other powerful effects; and new obstacles such as Bomb and Locked gems as well as Coal will challenge players as never before. In addition, four game modes (Classic, Blitz, Challenge and Zen) offer vastly different ways to experience Bejeweled Twist.

The game will also offer touch support on compatible phones.

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PopCap Donates First 500 copies of Bejeweled Twist given to overseas Military

Image via WikipediaDonation to Games For Soldiers Organization Brings Latest Blinged-Out Puzzler to Armed Forces Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan.

the first 500 boxed, retail copies of Bejeweled Twist to the non-profit Games For Soldiers (GFS) organization tomorrow. GFS will deliver the boxed copies of the game to armed services personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan in time for soldiers in the field to enjoy it during the holiday season. The third installment in its ultra-popular Bejeweled franchise, Bejeweled Twist arrives on retail shelves next Tuesday, November 18 and is available now via Web download at www.popcap.com.

“We really appreciate PopCap’s generous contribution – one of several the company has made to our organization – and are ramping up to distribute copies of Bejeweled Twist to soldiers in the field by mid-December, just in time for the holidays,” said Jesse Williams, founder of Games For Soldiers and Army National Guard soldier who returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan earlier this year. “So-called ‘casual’ games like Bejeweled, Peggle and Zuma are hugely popular with military personnel of all ages, ranks and backgrounds. These games lend themselves to the occasional and haphazard ‘down time’ common to military life in combat areas, and provide some distraction and even stress relief in what are often high-adrenaline and/or high anxiety environments.”

SPC Williams first began contacting video game publishers while stationed in Afghanistan, securing donations to help outfit his unit’s MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) center. After returning home, he founded the Games For Soldiers organization (www.gamesforsoldiers.org), which has shipped thousands of video games to armed services personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, to both individual soldiers and base recreation centers and Internet cafes. While there are dozens of organizations chartered with distributing books, toiletries, snacks and other items to U.S. Armed Services personnel, Games For Soldiers is the only entity that is specifically focused on donating video games to the troops.

Bejeweled Twist is the recently-launched third installment in the seminal puzzle franchise. From PCs and Macs, PlayStation and Xbox consoles to mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and iPhones, Bejeweled is available for more than a dozen devices and platforms and is the most popular casual game of the 21st century. More than 350 million copies of Bejeweled/Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded from the Web, accounting for nearly a third of the 1 billion-plus downloads of all PopCap titles. Further, the Bejeweled franchise alone has been enjoyed for more than 6 billion hours by consumers worldwide.

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New Bejeweled Twist video game in October

Image via WikipediaBejeweled Twist, First New Installment in Casual Game Leader's Flagship Franchise in Nearly Four Years, Will Put New Spin on Match-3 Genre.

PopCap Games announce that it will be launching the next entry in its flagship franchise Bejeweled next month. Titled Bejeweled Twist, the new game has been in development for more than three years and will bring a completely new perspective to the “Match-3” genre of puzzle games that the original Bejeweled pioneered eight years ago. PopCap plans to formally unveil the game at a gala event at Seattle’s Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on the evening of Monday, October 27, 2008 – the first such launch event in casual games history. The game will carry a retail price of US$19.95 and will initially be available exclusively via Web download from www.popcap.com.

“As our first and most popular game, we’re particularly dedicated to Bejeweled and wanted to make sure that our next offering in the lineup delivered as much innovation, polish, and sheer pleasure as possible,” explained Jason Kapalka, co-founder and chief creative officer at PopCap. “We spent a long time conceiving and prototyping a totally new direction for Bejeweled Twist. The game will be immediately recognizable to Bejeweled fans, and as accessible as earlier titles in the series, but with far more depth and flexibility. Previous versions of Bejeweled appealed to a pretty broad audience, but we’re confident Bejeweled Twist will offer a compelling experience for everyone, from the novice gamer to the seriously hardcore player.”

From PCs and Macs, PlayStation and Xbox consoles to mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and iPhones, Bejeweled is available for more than a dozen devices and platforms and is the most popular casual game of the 21st century. More than 350 million copies of Bejeweled/Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded from the Web, accounting for nearly a third of the 1 billion-plus downloads of all PopCap titles. Tens of millions of copies of Bejeweled have been installed on mobile phones worldwide, and more than 25 million units of the game have been sold across all platforms, amounting to over $300 million in consumer spending over the history of the game.

All other details of Bejeweled Twist are currently under wraps and will be disclosed at the game’s gala launch event in Seattle on October 27.

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Bejeweled 2 for Palm OS and Windows Mobile - major update!

Bejeweled 2 for Palm OS and Windows Mobile gets a major update!

Astraware and PopCap Games are very excited to announce a major update to PopCap's best-selling, flagship game, Bejeweled 2.

In version 1.30, Bejeweled 2 adds much-requested support for 240x240 square screen Windows Mobile devices such as Palm TreoTM smartphones and includes support for 320x320 Windows Mobile Professional and Classic devices such as Samsung's SGH-i780 smartphone.


This update also sees the very first release on Windows Mobile Standard devices. Bejeweled 2, version 1.30, supports 240x320 and 320x240 resolution non-touchscreen devices including the HTC S710, HTC StrTrk, Samsung Blackjack & Blackjack II, and Motorola Q and Q9.

The game has been brought fully up-to-date on Astraware's current games framework and controls have been optimized for play with either 5-way or stylus. Bejeweled 2 is recognised by both public and media as the must-have puzzle game for your Palm OS or Windows Mobile device, and this update supports an even wider range of devices than ever before!

Bejeweled 2, version 1.30, is a completely FREE update for registered users. Players who haven't yet experienced this award-winning classic can purchase a copy, priced $19.95, from the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/bejeweled2