PopCap™ Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games for Web, PC, mobile phones and other digital entertainment platforms, today announced that Bejeweled® 2 and Zuma®, two of its most popular games, will be available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft when that system ships in North America on November 22.

Available for download via the Xbox Live Arcade area of Xbox Live, the online service available to all Xbox 360 purchasers, Bejeweled 2 and Zuma offer nearly limitless enjoyment for puzzle game fans of all ages. Several other PopCap titles including Feeding Frenzy® and AstroPop® will be added to the Xbox Live Arcade service by early 2006.

All such PopCap titles are optimized for play on Xbox 360 and feature a number of enhancements and capabilities not found in previous versions of the games. Exact pricing of Bejeweled 2, Zuma and other Xbox Live Arcade titles has not yet been disclosed.

“The next generation of Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 is designed to be an integrated destination for downloadable games of all types, and casual games are an important part of that experience,“ said Greg Canessa, GM of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. “PopCap is a world-class provider of fun, addictive casual games and we’re very excited to have them on board as a strategic launch partner, bringing their biggest, most successful franchises to Xbox 360 gamers around the world via the Xbox Live Arcade experience.”

“Casual games like PopCap’s Bejeweled 2 and Zuma reach a much different audience today than that which has traditionally consumed console games, providing gamers with different content than that usually offered for videogame consoles,” said Schelley Olhava, analyst with IDC. “The placement of innovative and challenging casual content that has been successful in the online PC gaming arena is an opportunity to diversify today’s videogame console content.”

“We’re pleased and excited to be part of the Xbox 360 launch and expect our games to thrive on Microsoft’s new console just as they’ve succeeded on every other major digital entertainment platform from computers and the Web to cell phones, PDAs and beyond,” said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap Games. “Bejeweled 2 in particular has never looked or played better than it does in the high definition, widescreen resolution mode of Xbox 360.”

Bejeweled 2, Zuma and all other PopCap titles made available for Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360 will include the following features and functionality:

    • High-DefinitionGraphics – All titles will support the Xbox 360’s HDTV display output and widescreen resolutions that show off each game’s graphics to unparalleled effect
    • Leaderboards – Online scoreboards to compare against other Xbox Live players
    • Achievements – Merit badges awarded for predefined accomplishments earned in the game that players can proudly display as they navigate the Xbox Live environment
    • Gamerscore – A meta-score spanning all Xbox 360 titles, whereby cumulative accomplishments across different game genres/categories are ranked and reflected in one composite “uber-score” to showcase a player’s overall games experience on the system
    • Enhanced Play Controls – Using the new wireless controllers that come standard with Xbox 360 System, players can now ‘feel’ the weight of the gems as they’re swapped in Bejeweled 2 and sense the “kick” of the balls as they’re fired in Zuma

Bejeweled 2 and Zuma, which have collectively been played by more than 50 million consumers for more than 500 million hours, are two of the most popular casual games of all time, and have dominated the Top 10 lists of Web, downloadable/PC and mobile games since being introduced in early 2004. The Bejeweled franchise alone is responsible for consuming approximately 2 billion hours of consumer leisure time, and Bejeweled was recently inducted into Computer Gaming World’s Hall of Fame – the first puzzle game to be so honored since Tetris nearly 20 years ago.

Game descriptors:

  • Bejeweled 2

Bejeweled 2 is the latest version of the classic “match-3” gem puzzler, in which players manipulate jewels of different colors to create horizontal or vertical rows of three more identical jewels. Solve handcrafted brain teasers in puzzle mode while up against the clock or kick back, relax and enjoy endless mode. With awe-inspiring planetary backdrops, explosive new gems and dazzling special effects, Bejeweled 2 is more wildly addictive than ever before!

  • Zuma

Do you have what it takes to unearth the secrets of this fast-paced action puzzler that is sweeping the gaming world? Quick reflexes and pattern-solving strategy will serve you well as you rotate the stone frog to shoot colored balls into place. Make sets of three or more balls to succeed – and don’t let the chain of balls reach the golden skull!

The casual games sector – composed of family-friendly puzzle, word, trivia and arcade-style games – has experienced tremendous growth, with more than 150 million consumers worldwide now playing such games on a regular basis. PopCap has helped create the PC casual games market, pioneering the “try-before-you-buy” business model (now an industry standard) and consistently creating the most popular games in the category since the company’s inception in 2000. PopCap’s games are simple to learn and easy to play, yet are difficult to master and provide limitless enjoyment.

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading provider of casual games in the world. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 by three friends from the online games industry, and has grown tremendously while maintaining its “grassroots” idealism and design philosophy. PopCap’s games have been downloaded more than 150 million times, and its flagship title Bejeweled has sold more than 5 million units across all major platforms. PopCap games are available for Web, PC and Mac, videogame consoles, cell-phones, PDAs and other mobile devices, on-demand TV, in-flight on leading airlines, and more.

Filed under: Xbox Live

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