Microsoft Acquiring King is a Bigger Deal Than You Think
By Daniel Sumpton | Misfit Media Columnist
In 2016, Activision Blizzard acquired the Candy Crush Saga developers, King for nearly 6 BILLION dollars. The decision from Activision Blizzard to acquire this company was often ridiculed, with multiple videogame analysts claiming that it was not a profitable decision. King have since released multiple successful Candy Crush Saga sequels, had a TV show that premiered on CBS based on Candy Crush, and has released successful games from other intellectual properties. However, the most impressive achievement of all from King, was being a part of a nearly 70-BILLION-dollar acquisition by Microsoft.
Although puzzling, it seems that there are many who are doubtful that King is a gaming company worthy of Microsoft’s acquisition. In the comment section of a photo that was posted by IGN listing King’s major franchise, there were many comments ridiculing the company for the same reasons that King was ridiculed for in 2016. “Wow! A whole whopping one phone app that people stopped caring about years ago!” One commenter wrote. “This is like getting the free gift in a cracker jack box,” said another.
King’s Major Franchise - Candy Crush, IGN - 2022
Sceptics of King had egg on their face once and they will have egg on their face once again because the company will continue its winning streak. You may ask how it’s obvious that King will continue to succeed, and there are many explanations. Candy Crush Saga’s 3 sequels are all indubitably financial successes, with the 2018 title, Candy Crush Friends Saga having earned over 50 million dollars by the end of 2019. All 4 Candy Crush games are still live on the app store, each game making exuberant amounts of cash every month. Additionally, King has published successful games with other intellectual properties, such as Bubble Witch, that has two sequels so far, and Crash Bandicoot. The King developed and published Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! Received 8.1 million downloads in one day following its release. To put that into perspective, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, a main entry in the Crash Bandicoot series, only sold 402,000 units digitally in its first MONTH. Both titles were released in 2021. No matter the variables put into this comparison for assessment, this is still an impressive achievement by King.
On top of this mountain of evidence highlighting how dominant the Candy Crush developers are in the gaming world, it is also true that multibillion dollar companies are still clawing to be affiliated with King. On the 3rd of July 2021, the Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! Developers dropped a video on Facebook announcing a collaboration between the company and Warner Brothers. Particularly, a team up between Candy Crush and The Tune Squad, amongst the heavy marketing that was being published for Space Jam: A New Legacy. Space Jam: Candy Crush was an in-game event that highlighted how King was even a necessity for the success of other intellectual properties that are much older than the Candy Crush Saga is. King is clearly a valuable asset for Microsoft to stay on top.