PopCap Games, being one of the most renowned casual games developer and publisher, announced back in September that it will unleash a new online multiplayer social game service in Korea. Building upon its widely played puzzle video game franchise after over six years, PopCap Games has now revealed details about the release dates of Bejeweled 3, uplifting the ‘match-3’ genre to a whole different altitude.
Four original modes from Bejeweled 2 have been extended and updated with revisions, along with the new spectacular HD graphics as well as smooth music and sound effects. Presenting fresh experiences, four entirely new games are accessible such as Ice Storm and Poker that depict astonishing new interpretations of the Bejeweled theme. Quest mode is also reported to be comprised of eleven mini-games consisting a total of forty quests offering clever hybrids of Bejeweled gameplay with other classic game mechanics.
“Casual video games have been popular going back to the 1980s, but the introduction of Bejeweled 10 years ago launched an entire industry,” commented David Cole, founder and president of DFC Intelligence. “No other casual game comes close to the success of Bejeweled in terms of popularity and influence. PopCap has been able to keep the franchise strong for 10 years because they have focused on quality and innovation and have not flooded the market with dozens of sequels. I fully expect Bejeweled 3 to not only be a big success in its own right, but also ensure the Bejeweled brand continues to grow in popularity over its next decade on the market.”
The new options ported in Bejeweled 3 contain a Classic mode that offers new resilient gameplay, a Quest mode that presents with 40 magical puzzles, a Zen mode that allows players to personalize the game with binaural beats and ambient sounds as well as a Lightning mode that lets them ‘charge up’ through beat-the-clock bout of gem-blasting fun. In four unlockable games, up to 65 badges can be earned by improving skills and other technical refinements. Bejeweled 3 is further said to offer an astounding casual gameplay experience.
“The challenge in creating a new version of Bejeweled is to innovate and keep it fresh and exciting without losing touch with the game-play that millions of people love. So we’re very careful when we make changes to the core game, which is why it can take so long!” explained Jason Kapalka, co-founder and chief creative officer at PopCap and co-creator of Bejeweled. “We’ve worked hard to make sure Bejeweled 3 retains the classic appeal of the earlier games while bringing a host of exciting new features to the table.”
Incepted around ten years ago and fetching one of the top ten spots in the history of video game franchises category, Bejeweled 3 boasts of hefty sales numbers and cross-platform playability. As claimed by the manufacturer, the game is still continuing to be purchased by players at one copy every 4.3 seconds.
Reported to be released on December 7, 2010 through PopCap.com, Bejeweled 3 will also be made available across other major portals in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe in addition to leading retail outlets in North America.