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This article is about the Bejeweled franchise. If you're looking for the 2000-2001 game, see Bejeweled. If you're looking for the HTML version of Bejeweled 3, see Bejeweled (HTML).


Bejeweled is a tile-matching puzzle video game franchise created by PopCap Games and distributed by Electronic Arts. Games in the Bejeweled series involve matching three or more multi-colored jewels in a straight line, in which gems fall, often creating cascades.

Initially released as a web browser game titled Diamond Mine in 2000, Bejeweled was developed and released as a downloadable PC game in 2001, followed by several sequels and spin-off games.

Since the initial release of Bejeweled in 2001, Bejeweled has been ported and re-released to a variety of different platforms, ranging from PCs, mobile and smartphones, consoles, in-flight entertainment systems and more. More than 10 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 350 million times. By February 2010, Bejeweled sales hit 50 million. The figure includes the original game, plus the Blitz and Twist versions. In 2020, Bejeweled was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.[1]

Bejeweled is often considered as the game that popularized the match-3 genre, and has won multiple awards. In July 2011, the series became part of Electronic Arts, as part of the company's full acquisition of PopCap Games.

Influence[]

Bejeweled was influenced by the game Shariki, written in 1988 by Russian developer Eugene Alemzhin, which had nearly identical gameplay. The popularity of Bejeweled has spawned several clones. Collectively known as match three games, these games revolve around the mechanics of creating three-in-a-row combinations of identical pieces.

Legacy[]

After the release of Bejeweled, the game has been ported to many platforms, including cellphones, smartphones, game consoles, plug and plays, in-flight entertainment displays, and more. The series would be subject to several non-video game products including casino machines, three board games from Hasbro, a web series based on the characters Snackers and Anchovy from Bejeweled Blitz and more.

On September 25, 2008, Bejeweled was officially released as a free addon for the fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, alongside Peggle. In addendum to the standard 'Classic' (Normal) and 'Timed' modes, the addon has an exclusive 'Flight' mode, wherein the game begins when the player takes a flight from one in-game location to another, with the goal to score as high as possible before they reach their destination. The WoW addon adds achievements to the game, as well as a levelling system.

In 2014, Bejeweled and Candy Crush Saga (along with many other similar match three games) were proved to be NP-hard.

List of games[]

Published by PopCap[]

Bejeweled is the first game of the series, and first PopCap title to be released into retail. Originally released as a web browser game named Diamond Mine in November 2000, it was later developed into a retail title before being renamed to it's current name due to conflicts with another product sharing the name. Bejeweled was released on browsers in 2001 as a free Flash game and later ported and improved as a paid game to PC (as Bejeweled Deluxe) on May 30, 2001. and mobile devices (as J2ME). More than 150 million people have downloaded the game and 10 million copies were sold.

Bejeweled 2 is the second game in the series that was released in November 2004. Bejeweled 2 introduces the planetary space theme that would be used throughout the 2000s and adds Special Gems to the game, along with new modes. The Deluxe version contains unlockable modes unlocked through various requirements.

Bejeweled Twist is a spin-off that was released in October 2008. Bejeweled Twist heavily differs from previous entries, as the player now rotates 4 gems clockwise instead of swapping two adjacent gems. It is the first game in the Bejeweled series and first PopCap game to run in high definition.

Bejeweled Blitz, the second spin-off was released in 2008 on Facebook initially, but expanded to mobile and PC (which was shortly lived) later on. Bejeweled Blitz involves scoring as many points as possible in one minute of game time. Bejeweled Blitz launched in beta form, featuring Bejeweled 2 graphics, but went through 2 major redesigns, the first being in 2009, which completely revamped the game and added new mechanics, a new aesthetic and new visuals, and the second being in 2018, where the majority of game mechanics were altered, such as the Boosts, music and UI. This is the oldest product to continue receiving support.

Bejeweled 3 is the third game in the main series. It was released in December 2010 as part of the 10 Years of Bejeweled celebration and features high definition graphics, a brand new game aesthetic, new mechanics such as being able to move while other gems are falling, an achievement system, and more.

Bejeweled Stars, formally known as Bejeweled Skies is the third spinoff of the Bejeweled series. The game was soft-released to Canada on December 2015, and entered a wider release in select countries worldwide in May 2016. Bejeweled Stars follows the modern match-3 formula in similar vein to games like Candy Crush Saga: complete tasks with a limited amount of moves. The game features a large number of levels, with the game being constantly updated to the present day.

Published by other companies[]

Bejeweled Legend was a spin-off of the Bejeweled series developed by PopCap Games' Tokyo Studio and published by GREE and Electronic Arts in 2012. It was hosted on the GREE service exclusively in Japan. Bejeweled Legend sees the player lead a pirate crew to defeat monsters using the power of gems, with similar gameplay to Bejeweled Blitz. The game was shut down in 2013, rendering it unplayable.

Bejeweled Champions is a spin-off of the Bejeweled series made by PopCap Games and published by WorldWinner for web browsers and smartphones in 2020. Like other games on WorldWinner, Bejeweled Champions is a gambling game where players can use real money to compete in competitions to win more. The game plays in fashion to a timed Classic Mode.

Other Products[]

Bejeweled 3D is a slot machine game based off Bejeweled 3 and was released in Q3 2013.

An arcade adaption of Bejeweled, based off Bejeweled 3's Lightning Mode, was distributed for arcades by Sega Amusements in 2013.

Board Games[]

Hasbro has published three board games based off the Bejeweled series under the Hasbro Gaming brand. They are Bejeweled, Bejeweled Frenzy and Electronic Bejeweled Blitz. Bejeweled and Bejeweled Frenzy were released in Spring 2013, and Electronic Bejeweled Blitz was released in Fall 2013.

Other[]

A web series based on Bejeweled characters Snackers and Anchovy, Snackers and Anchovy was released in 2012.

Many slot/casino products based off the Bejeweled brand have been released throughout several years, including brand tie-in variants of the online game.

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]

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