Those wondering what Electronic Arts’ acquisition of Popcap means for the studio’s stable of popular games have had their questions answered today. Bejeweled 2 + Blitz will be swiped from iTunes and its two modes split into two. Where once you could buy Bejeweled 2 with a “Blitz” mode for $0.99, you now have to buy a new Bejeweled with the mode removed.
Why is this? It’s because Blitz has been released as its own game, the latest iOS game to adopt a “freemium” model. It costs nothing to get into, but will require paid purchases after the fact. Quite what these purchases entail remains to be seen, but given what we recently learned about EA’s other freemium title, Theme Park, hopes aren’t exactly high.
Bejeweled 2 + Blitz is still available on the North American iTunes at the time of writing, but don’t expect it to stay long.
This is the second EA-owned iOS game to be replaced with a worrying new business model. Recently, Tetris was relaunched with the promise of downloadable content and the option to purchase a yearly $30.00 subscription.
