From the company that brought the world-wide hit first person shooter game series "Call of Duty" comes the exciting puzzle video game "Candy Crush."
But before this is dismissed as a joke, the news is that Activision Blizzard will acquire the puzzle game maker King Digital Entertainment. King is the company behind games like "Candy Crush" and "Bubble Witch Saga." According to Polygon, the acquisition of King will involve a whopping $5.9 billion and after the deal is closed, Activision Blizzard becomes "one of the largest global entertainment networks with over half a billion combined monthly active users in 196 countries."
The announcement was made by Activision Blizzard itself and it was noted that the acquisition would have to be approved first by the shareholders of King Digital Entertainment and the Irish government. The target date that the deal is expected to complete will be by Spring 2016.
"The combined revenues and profits solidify our position as the largest, most profitable standalone company in interactive entertainment," Polygon quotes what Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, stated in the release. "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."
In another news, this deal reportedly is being viewed by some with skepticism. According to Reuters, Cowen and Co analysts on the other hand sees this as an "absolute steal" saying, "The combination increases Activision's scope and scale, but more importantly gives the company another top-quality IP (intellectual property) creator."
King is said to have a total of 500 million users and the acquisition would therefore mean that Activision, one of the giants in the video games industry will have a wider reach. "Call of Duty" might one day include shooting candies and candy combinations besides shooting zombies in the future.
