Tetris is one of the most popular games of all time, selling over 70 million copies on various consoles and handheld devices, as well as over 100 million copies on cell phones. So it makes sense that whoever owns the publishing rights at the moment wants to continue releasing new games carrying the Tetris name.
That company is EA, and their new take on the series is calledTetris Monsters.
Tetris Monsters has just been announced for release in Japan. It’s set to be a free-to-play title on iOS and is currently only confirmed for Japan this summer. It differs from previous Tetris games by adding a monster-collecting/battling element to the gameplay.
Although details are sparse, it looks as though EA has decided to copy the formula that has made GungHo Online Entertainment’sPuzzle & Dragons game so popular. In P&G, the gameplay combines a monster fighting rpg with a match 3 gem game. Basically, you progress through dungeons by using your match 3 skills to defeat any enemies you encounter. In the case of Tetris Monsters, EA has swapped out the gem matching for Tetris.
It’s understandable why EA has chosen to take this route and target Japan first. Puzzle & Dragons is currently the number one grossing app on both iOS and Android and counts 16 million downloads in Japan alone.
The money P&G generates is through in-app purchases that require the player regularly spend about $1 in order to retain any rewards, stamina, and progress they have made over the past hour or more of play. Using the tactic of “if you don’t spend you lose a lot” clearly works as P&G is thought to generate upwards of $62 million a month. I expect EA will attempt to use the same tactic for Tetris Monsters.
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