In news that warms the heart, Popcap, the developers of casual titles such as Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle, are to donate copies of their latest game, Bejeweled Twist, to Games for Soldiers, a non-profit organisation that distributes games to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Games for Soldiers was founded by a Specialist with the 1-158 Infantry Battalion, Jesse Williams, who created the organisation after returning from a one year stint in Afghanistan. Williams said:

“We really appreciate Popcap’s generous contribution - one of several the company has made to our organization - and are ramping up to distribute copies of Bejeweled Twist to soldiers in the field by mid-December, just in time for the holidays.”

“So-called ‘casual’ games like Bejeweled, Peggle and Zuma are hugely popular with military personnel of all ages, ranks and backgrounds. These games lend themselves to the occasional and haphazard ‘down time’ common to military life in combat areas, and provide some distraction and even stress relief in what are often high-adrenaline and/or high-anxiety environments.”

Great stuff!

PopCap have announced that the next entry to the Bejeweled series, Bejeweled Twist, will be unveiled next month at a gala event at Seattle’s Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on October 27th. Co-founder and chief creative officer at PopCap, Jason Kapalka, further explained:

“As our first and most popular game, we’re particularly dedicated to Bejeweled and wanted to make sure that our next offering in the lineup delivered as much innovation, polish, and sheer pleasure as possible. We spent a long time conceiving and prototyping a totally new direction for Bejeweled Twist. The game will be immediately recognizable to Bejeweled fans, and as accessible as earlier titles in the series, but with far more depth and flexibility. Previous versions of Bejeweled appealed to a pretty broad audience, but we’re confident Bejeweled Twist will offer a compelling experience for everyone, from the novice gamer to the seriously hardcore player.” Bejeweled Twist has allegedly been in development for three years.

Why is this big news? For some amazing Bejeweled facts, click on through.

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In what must have been a very proud moment, PopCap has announced that their premiere match-3 casual game series, Bejeweled 1 and 2, have collectively sold 25 million units since 2000, through a variety of channels including web, mobile, retail and in-flight.

Jason Kapalka, chief creative officer and co-founder of PopCap, said of the franchise, “Considering we tried to sell Bejeweled outright to more than one industry giant back in the early days of our company, and got no takers even after reducing our asking price to $60,000, this little game has done all right for itself. I vividly recall prospective buyers telling us ‘It’s not even a game,’ while showing us the door.”

To put this in perspective, EA announced earlier this year that the Sims series, including the original Sims, the Sims 2 as well expansion packs for both, hit 100 million, while any given Pokemon release (those that come in pairs) have been known to hit just under 20 million copies sold combined. Halo 1 and 2 combined haven’t yet sold 25 million. Despite its ‘lower-than-retail’ price, Bejeweled hitting 25 million is is still something to get excited about!

PopCap’s popular game Peggle is coming to the Nintendo DS. Peggle is expected to arrive on North American shores this winter and will be priced at $29.95.

PopCap has partnered with Japanese development studio Q Entertainment (of Lumines, Meteos and Rez HD fame), who are already adapting the game for the DS. Q Entertainment will also be adding unique features to the DS version that are not available in the existing PC, Mac or iPod versions.

Peggle for the DS is touted to feature more levels than existing versions of the game, including DS-exclusive levels. The game will also include re-mastered input controls as well as “surprise additions sure to please die-hard fans and novice players alike.”

PopCap also announced two additional DS titles it’s developing, Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief. Dubbed “seek-and-solve” games, both are picture-hunting games that require players to identify items and use them to piece together a story. Early reports indicate that each game will include 18 missions along with nine locations exclusive to the DS. The pair will retail for $19.99 each when they hit shelves this winter.

Details are scant at the moment but head over to 1Up for a Peggle DS interview with Greg Canessa, PopCap’s vice president of video game platforms.

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