It's a smartphone. It's an iPod. It's Apple's iPhone -- and its making room on deck for video games. One of the top casual-game publishers just stepped aboard the iPhone express, and analysts are saying the move might lead to other developers climbing on board.
PopCap Games launched a custom version of its flagship game Bejeweled for the iPhone. If that's not enough to excite iPhone-toting gamers, perhaps the price tag will turn some heads: Bejeweled is available at no cost.
Starting Monday, iPhone users can log on to popcap.com via the iPhone's Safari Web browser and play the iPhone-specific version of the original Bejeweled for free. The customized version of Bejeweled leverages the Web 2.0 capabilities of Safari and the wireless capabilities of the iPhone, and has been optimized to take advantage of the iPhone's unique display and input controls.
PopCap developed the Safari-based version of Bejeweled in partnership with Polish developer Arkadiusz Mlynarczyk. PopCap execs did not reveal whether its newest wireless game, Chuzzle Mobile, or its popular mobile game Zuma, will be available for the iPhone. But considering PopCap's success working with the video iPod, more games could be in the works.
Apple has clearly demonstrated a proof of concept for delivering premium gaming content on its new device, Gartenberg said. The question now is how to monetize the games. Currently, there is no way for iPhone users to purchase and download video game titles and play them when offline.
1 comment:
Good post...
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