PopCap Games has announced that it will be launching the next entry in its flagship franchise Bejeweled next month.

Titled Bejeweled Twist, the new game has been in development for more than three years, and will be unveiled at a gala event at Seattle's Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on October 27, 2008.

"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," explained 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 recognisable 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 largely considered the most successful casual game ever, with more than 350 million copies downloaded for a variety of platforms from the Web.