Exclusive: Electronic Arts confirms Tetris Blitz for Xbox on Windows Phone 8 [Updated]

The days of Xbox Windows Phone games beingness announced in advance are pretty much behind u.s.. Most weeks we get no game at all, and the games that do pop up were either announced long ago (such every bit this week'southward Six-Guns) or simply pop upwardly out of the blue. Blame changes within Microsoft for the dwindling quantity of titles and lack of PR for mobile Xbox games.

But only but! Nokia has really put a fair amount of time and money into bringing new Xbox games to Windows Telephone in the last twelvemonth or two. Two recently announced games: Angry Birds Star Wars II and Tetris Blitz both come from Nokia's strong human relationship with Rovio and Electronic Arts. But Nokia'due south Facebook page announced Tetris Rush for the stop of August and it never showed upwardly. Could the game have been announced in error?

Windows Phone Cardinal has finally received official confirmation from EA: Tetris Blitz is definitely coming to Windows Phone viii before long. Head past the intermission for sectional details!

What is a Tetris Blitz?

Start, permit's explicate why we intendance almost Tetris Blitz. Dissimilar traditional Tetris titles, games last for exactly two minutes in this i. The goal is to score as much and earn every bit many coins as you can within those 2 minutes. Clear lines apace to enter Frenzy mode. In Frenzy, you'll score double for each line cleared.

The coins earned in-game can be spent on fifteen unlike power-ups. These provide beneficial furnishings like an extra burst of fourth dimension, removing random lines, lowering the stack of blocks, and more than. As you might expect, ability-ups are key to achieving really high scores on the global leaderboard.

It'southward been said that touch screens don't offer the precision controls required for a relatively fast-paced game like Tetris. Well, in designing Tetris Blitz specifically for mobile play, EA actually created a smart new command method…

When a tetromino (Tetris piece) enters the field, several possible landing positions appear asoutlines down below. Only tap an outline to drop the piece there! If none of the suggestions wait good to you, hit the Bike push button on the side of the screen for a new batch of placement locations.

Windows Phone specifics

Tetris Blitz Nokia teaser

Now for the good stuff! As our introduction clearly hinted, Tetris Blitz volition be Xbox-enabled when it arrives on Windows Phone. It volition Not be a Nokia sectional either, despite Nokia'southward interest in announcing the title. Good news for the HTC and Samsung users in the house.

Tetris Blitz will require Windows Telephone eight though, most probable because the game is designed around In-App Purchases (IAP). Players can earn the coins needed for power-ups through gameplay, or they can opt to purchase them with real money. Speaking of IAPs, Tetris Blitz will exist complimentary to play when it arrives on Windows Phone.

Tetris Blitz is targeted for a late September release. Angry Birds Star Wars II is already due on September 19, then September 25 looks like a adept bet for Blitz. Proceed in heed the September release is not prepare in stone, so it could slip to Oct. Only if everything goes well and Tetris Blitz makes information technology out in time, September will exist the best month Xbox Windows Telephone has had in ages.

Update: EA has confirmed that Tetris Blitz WILL exist costless to play.

Another milestone

Minecraft Dungeons has surpassed 15 million players since launch

Minecraft Dungeons, the action-RPG Minecraft spin-off from Mojang Studios and Double Eleven, has officially surpassed 15 one thousand thousand players since its release. To celebrate, the Festival of Frost issue kicks off today with limited-time challenges, decorations, rewards, and more.