PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, has launched Bejeweled Twist Mobile, a faithful adaptation of the highly acclaimed PC game, across a wide array of European carriers – with more set to follow over the coming weeks.

PopCap’s fourth in-house title for mobile, Bejeweled Twist puts a completely new spin on the top-selling puzzle franchise of the 21st century and will offer mobile owners a deep and fun game experience. According to recent research*, 57% of mobile device owners play mobile games on their device. Mobile gaming serves as a distraction and stress relief for on-the-go consumers: more than 50% of mobile gamers polled said they gamed as a distraction from daily life issues, while 40% said they gamed for relaxation and stress relief.

Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development at PopCap, said: “Bejeweled Twist is a milestone title in the mobile games category and offers something for everyone: novice players can pick it up and enjoy it immediately, while avid gamers will appreciate the depth of strategy, challenge and the overall flexibility in its gameplay.”

Bejeweled Twist features a revolutionary new style of play - removing 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.

According to PopCap’s recent research, Tetris® (20%) is the game most enjoyed on phones – closely following by Bejeweled® (18%) so this release is sure to be a hit with mobile game players, who incidentally are fairly evenly split by gender – 51% male and 49% females. Research suggests that men tend to play mobile games somewhat more frequently than women but women play for longer stretches of time.