Bejeweled (series)
{{short description|Video game series}}
{{Infobox video game series
|collapsible=No
|title=Bejeweled
|image=Bejeweled Logo.png
|caption=
|genre=Puzzle
|developer=PopCap Games
|publisher=PopCap Games
Electronic Arts
|creator=Jason Kapalka{{cite web|url=http://popcap.com/faq/bejeweled/1033/pc/readme.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612032438/http://popcap.com/faq/bejeweled/1033/pc/readme.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-06-12 |title=Bejeweled® Deluxe Readme |access-date=2017-03-07}}
|artist=
|writer=
|composer=
|platforms=Microsoft Windows
Xbox 360
Windows Phone
Windows Mobile
Mac OS X
iOS
Android
PlayStation 3
PlayStation Portable
Nintendo DS
Wii
Java ME
Adobe Flash
Palm OS
Symbian^3
PlayStation Vita
Online
Arcade
|first release version=Bejeweled
|first release date=2000
|latest release version=Bejeweled Champions
|latest release date=September 9, 2020
|spinoffs=Bejeweled Twist, Bejeweled Blitz, Bejeweled Stars
}}
Bejeweled is a series of tile-matching puzzle video games created by PopCap Games. Bejeweled was released initially for browsers in 2000, followed by seven sequels: Bejeweled 2 (2004), Bejeweled Twist (2008), Bejeweled Blitz (2009), Bejeweled 3 (2010), Bejeweled Legend (2012, in Japan only), Bejeweled Stars (2016), and Bejeweled Champions (2020) all by PopCap Games and its parent, Electronic Arts. More than 10 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 350 million times.{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Ward|title=Casual games make a serious impact|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7301374.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=2008-03-18|access-date=2008-03-20 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080321144805/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7301374.stm| archive-date= 21 March 2008 | url-status= live}} By February 2010, Bejeweled sales hit 50 million. The figure includes the original game, plus the Blitz and Twist versions.{{cite web|first=Leigh|last=Alexander|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/118126/Bejeweled_Sales_Hit_50_Million.php|title=Bejeweled Sales Hit 50 Million|website=Gamasutra|date=February 10, 2010|access-date=March 14, 2020|archive-date=September 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907173346/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/118126/Bejeweled_Sales_Hit_50_Million.php|url-status=live}} An arcade version was released in Q3 2013.
Games
{{Video game timeline
| compressempty = yes
| 2000 = Bejeweled
| 2004 = Bejeweled 2
| 2008a = Bejeweled Twist
| 2008b = Bejeweled Blitz
| 2010 = Bejeweled 3
| 2012 = Bejeweled Legend
| 2016 = Bejeweled Stars
| 2020 = Bejeweled Champions
}}
;Main series
- Bejeweled (2000)
- Bejeweled 2 (2004)
- Bejeweled 3 (2010)
;Spin-offs
- Bejeweled Twist (2008)
- Bejeweled Blitz (2010)
- Bejeweled Legend (2012) (Japan only)
- Bejeweled Stars (2016)
- Bejeweled Champions (2020){{Cite tweet |user=worldwinner |number=1303767806471741441 |title=Let's celebrate! Bejeweled 2 is now Bejeweled Champions! Check out the new version on http://worldwinner.com AND in the WorldWinner app! ✨🎉 https://go.worldwinner.com/LEaPXlY8D9 TODAY: Enjoy 10X Rewards Points in Bejeweled Champions cash tournaments until midnight ET.|archive-date=2020-09-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909185111/https://twitter.com/WorldWinner/status/1303767806471741441|url-status=live|access-date=2020-12-14}}
Influence
Bejeweled was directly influenced by a web-based game called "Colors Game" (1999), with possible indirect inspiration from games such as Shariki, Tetris Attack, and Columns, although the extent of their impact on Bejeweled{{'}}s design remains a subject of speculation.{{cite web |last=Kapalka |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Kapalka |title=Classic Game Postmortem - Bejeweled |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1jlw64ddlg |website=youtube.com |publisher=Game Developers Conference |language=en |format=video |date=March 4, 2011}}{{cite web|last1=Hester|first1=Larry|date=October 21, 2013|title=Inside Bejeweled: An Interview with Executive Producer Heather Hazen|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/10/inside-bejeweled-interview-with-heather-hazen|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026003253/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/10/inside-bejeweled-interview-with-heather-hazen|archive-date=October 26, 2017|access-date=August 15, 2023|website=Complex|df=mdy-all|quote=When Brian Fiete, Jason Kapalka and John Vechey of PopCap came across a Russian match-three game called Shariki (or The Colors Game), it inspired them to create a browser-based game named Diamond Mine which later evolved into the glittery, ball of addiction we now know as Bejeweled.}}{{cite web | url = https://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-bejeweled-2014-2 | title = Here's The History Of The Game That Was Copied To Create Candy Crush Saga | last = Edwards | first = Jim | date = February 18, 2014 | website = BusinessInsider.com | access-date = August 15, 2023 | quote = But even Bejeweled isn't the original match-three game. That honor probably belongs to a Russian computer game from the early 1990s called Shariki}}{{cite web|url=http://scharik.ru/|title=Museum of the Schariki game|access-date=2008-11-13|language=ru| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081020024058/http://scharik.ru/| archive-date= 20 October 2008 | url-status= live}}
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,{{cite web|last1=Chalk|first1=Andy|date=September 22, 2008|title=Bejeweled Comes To World Of Warcraft|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86401-Bejeweled-Comes-To-World-Of-Warcraft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320124822/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86401-Bejeweled-Comes-To-World-Of-Warcraft|archive-date=March 20, 2021|website=The Escapist}} Bejeweled was officially released as a free addon for the fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, alongside Peggle.{{cite magazine|last1=Cavalli|first1=Earnest|date=September 19, 2008|title=Bejeweled, Warcraft Combine to Form World's Most Addictive Game|url=https://www.wired.com/2008/09/bejeweled-comin/|url-status=live|magazine=Wired|publisher=Condé Nast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616064901/https://www.wired.com/2008/09/bejeweled-comin/|archive-date=June 16, 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Schramm|first1=Mike|date=September 20, 2008|title=WoW Insider's preview of PopCap Games' Bejeweled addon|url=http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/20/wow-insiders-preview-of-popcap-games-bejeweled-addon/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217014257/http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/20/wow-insiders-preview-of-popcap-games-bejeweled-addon/|archive-date=December 17, 2010|website=WoW Insider|publisher=AOL}}{{cite web|last1=Dumitrescu|first1=Andrei|date=September 22, 2008|title=Bejeweled to Appear as Minigame in World of Warcraft|url=https://news.softpedia.com/news/Bejeweled-to-Appear-As-Mini-Game-in-World-of-Warcraft-93885.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924124520/https://news.softpedia.com/news/Bejeweled-to-Appear-As-Mini-Game-in-World-of-Warcraft-93885.shtml|archive-date=September 24, 2008|website=Softpedia|publisher=SoftNews NET SRL}}{{cite web|last1=North|first1=Dale|date=September 22, 2008|title=Unholy unity: Bejeweled added to World of Warcraft|url=https://www.destructoid.com/unholy-unity-bejeweled-added-to-world-of-warcraft-104650.phtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819122101/https://www.destructoid.com/unholy-unity-bejeweled-added-to-world-of-warcraft-104650.phtml|archive-date=August 19, 2009|website=Destructoid|publisher=Enthusiast Gaming}} 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.{{cite web|last1=Welsh|first1=Oli|date=September 22, 2008|title=Bejeweled add-on coming to WOW|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bejeweled-add-on-coming-to-wow|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216052906/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bejeweled-add-on-coming-to-wow|archive-date=February 16, 2012|website=Eurogamer|publisher=Gamer Network}} 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.{{cite arXiv|eprint=1403.1911|class=cs.CC|author=T. Walsh|title=Candy Crush is NP-Hard|year=2014}}{{Cite book|last1=Gualà|first1=L.|last2=Leucci|first2=S.|last3=Natale|first3=E.|title=2014 IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games |chapter=Bejeweled, Candy Crush and other match-three games are (NP-)hard |date=August 2014|chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6932866|pages=1–8|arxiv=1403.5830|doi=10.1109/CIG.2014.6932866|isbn=978-1-4799-3547-5|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211005/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6932866|archive-date=2021-10-05|s2cid=21294688}}{{cbignore}}
Bejeweled is often considered an important part of the match-3 genre.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} The series had won multiple awards. By 2013, PopCap estimates that over 10 billion hours of the game had been played on over 500 million downloaded copies.{{cite web|last1=Edwards|first1=Jim|date=2013-09-11|title=The Definitive, Illustrated History of the Most Underrated Game Ever|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-bejewled-2013-9|access-date=2017-03-11|website=Business Insider|archive-date=2017-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313124417/http://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-bejewled-2013-9|url-status=live}} In 2020, Bejeweled was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|title=Bejeweled, Minecraft among games inducted into hall of fame {{!}} The Spokesman-Review|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/22/bejeweled-minecraft-among-games-inducted-into-hall/#:~:text=Bejeweled,%20created%20as%20a%20web,more%20than%20500%20million%20times.|access-date=2020-12-08|website=www.spokesman.com|archive-date=2020-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202062846/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/22/bejeweled-minecraft-among-games-inducted-into-hall/#:~:text=Bejeweled,%20created%20as%20a%20web,more%20than%20500%20million%20times.|url-status=live}}
Further reading
- {{cite conference
|title= Bejeweled, Candy Crush and other Match-Three Games are (NP-)Hard
|date= 24 March 2014
|conference = 2014 IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games
|last1=Gualà
|first1=Luciano
|last2=Leucci
|first2=Stefano
|last3=Natale
|first3=Emanuele
|bibcode= 2014arXiv1403.5830G
|arxiv= 1403.5830 }}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Portal|Video games}}
- {{official website}}
{{PopCap}}
{{Electronic Arts}}