PopCap Games today announced the next installment in its hugely popular Bejeweled franchise. Bejeweled Twist will be the first new game in the casual game franchise in nearly four years when it launches the game at a special gala event at Seattle's Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on the evening of Monday, October 27.

Bejeweled Twist will offer "a completely new perspective" on the "Match-3" puzzle genre, PopCap said. The game will sell for $19.95 and will initially be available only via web download on PopCap.com.

"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," commented Jason Kapalka, co-founder and chief creative officer at PopCap. "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 is one of the most successful casual games ever made. More than 350 million copies of Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded; "tens of millions" of copies of Bejeweled have been installed on mobile phones worldwide; and more than 25 million units of the game have been sold across all platforms. Overall, Bejeweled has led to more than $300 million in consumer spending.