‘Candy Crush Saga’ App Set To Be Purchased By Activision Blizzard? Dubbed As Biggest Deal In Gaming Industry!
Activision Blizzard announced its plans to purchase the popular game app "Candy Crush Saga" developer King Digital Entertainment for $5.9 billion.
Activision Blizzard is known for their franchises such as the "World of Warcraft," "Call of Duty" and "Guitar Hero." If the deal pushes through, it will prove the company's "position as the largest, most profitable standalone company in interactive entertainment," according to Activision's chief executive via The Washington Post.
This will become the biggest deal in gaming industry since the game Minecraft was bought by Microsoft in 2014. Activision has more than 500 million active users in almost 200 countries, according to Financial Times.
Activision's chief executive Bobby Kotick said, "Mobile gaming is the largest and fastest-growing opportunity for interactive entertainment and we will have one of the world's most successful mobile game companies and its talented teams providing great content to new customers, in new geographies throughout the world," according to Telegraph.
"Candy Crush Saga" is one of the popular games in the industry with over 100 million players along with the latest version the "Candy Crush Soda Saga" game app which brought large success to the King Digital Entertainment. The company had a revenue growth of 20% in February 2015 for the full year, according to Telegraph.
"Activision Blizzard will provide King with experience, support and investment to continue to build on their tremendous legacy and reach new potential," Kotick said in a statement.
"We share an unwavering commitment to attracting and developing the best talent in the business, and we are excited about what we will be able to accomplish together," he continued as reported in The Washington Post.
The deal is already been approved by the dominating number of King's shareholders and the boards from both companies. Although, the close deal will be expected in 2016, the full approval will depend on the remaining 75% votes from the King's investors that will be conducted at their headquarters in Ireland, according to Financial Times.