In a move which shows how some companies treat money like penny sweets, Activision Blizzard are trying to acquire all shares from Candy Crush creator, King, for a whopping $5.9 billion.
Although the acquisition is still pending approval from current shareholders and the Irish High Court, as well as other authorities, it should be completed by Spring 2016, coincidentally the rough date when the world will end, as foretold by piggy bank owners.
Bobby Kotick, chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard, said: “The combined revenues and profits solidify our position as the largest, most profitable standalone company in interactive entertainment. With a combined global network of more than half a billion monthly active users, our potential to reach audiences around the world on the device of their choosing enables us to deliver great games to even bigger audiences than ever before.”
He added: “Riccardo, Sebastian, and Stephane are some of the best minds in the business, and we have long-admired King for consistently creating incredibly fun, deeply engaging free-to-play games that capture the imaginations of players across ages and demographics. Activision Blizzard will provide King with experience, support and investment to continue to build on their tremendous legacy and reach new potential. 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.”
All of this can basically translated to: “mobile is money”. As casual gamers pick up their phones and pay more and more, a lot of traditional games publishers are looking at ways of capitalising on the upsurge. Earlier in the year, Konami controversially announced they were halting almost all AAA games development to focus on mobile gaming for the future. Although it’s doubtful that playing games on a mobile will ever overtake those on a console or a PC, it’s certainly becoming easier and more alluring to do just that.
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