Bejeweled Passes 25 Million Mark

Seattle based PopCap Games, a leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced that its flagship franchise Bejeweled, which includes Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2, have collectively sold more than 25 million units across all platforms since the game first appeared in late 2000.

"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," said Jason Kapalka, chief creative officer and co-founder of PopCap, and the original designer of Bejeweled and its sequel. "I vividly recall prospective buyers telling us 'It's not even a game,' while showing us the door," Kapalka laughed.

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, amounting to over $300 million in consumer spending over the history of the game. The game has been one of the top three sellers among mobile games for more than three years running.

According to Popcap, Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have collectively been enjoyed for an estimated 6 billion hours -- the equivalent of 60 people playing the game 24 hours a day since the last Ice Age 11,400 years ago.