[dropcap style=”style1″]A[/dropcap]ctivision – One of the biggest publishers of traditional games in the world now also owns one of the biggest mobile publishers – King Digital Entertaiment.
Vietgame.asia – Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush Saga — three of the biggest games in the world, all catering to different platforms and financial models — now all belong to Activision after the publisher spent $5.9 billion to acquire King Digital Entertaiment, the company best known for the Candy Crush and Farm Hero games.
This means that Activision paid $18 per share, or a 20 percent premium over King’s closing price on October 30, to acquire the mobile behemoth. This purchase should help Activision diversify its business. It was already making a push into mobile and free-to-play, but this move instantly adds a number of high-profile and lucrative hits. Instead of trying to build mobile games that appeal to a global audience, it can just use what King has already created.
“The combined revenues and profits solidify our position as the largest, most profitable standalone company in interactive entertainment,” Activision Blizzard chief executive officer Bobby Kotick said in a canned statement. “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.”
While Kotick points out that having control of King puts Activision well ahead of its primary competition of Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, he will also let his new microtransaction factory continue to operate as a separate subsidiary. The current leadership of chief executive officer Riccardo Zacconi, chief creative officer Sebastian Knutsson, and chief operating officer Stephane Kurgan will continue to oversee King.
“Riccardo, Sebastian, and Stephane are some of the best minds in the business,” said Kotick. “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.”[su_icon_panel background=”transparent” border=”1px none #cccccc” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #eeeeee” icon=”icon: html5″ icon_color=”#1f6dc9″ icon_size=”70″ url=”https://king.com/”][/su_icon_panel][su_icon_panel background=”transparent” border=”1px none #cccccc” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #eeeeee” icon=”icon: facebook-square” icon_color=”#1f6dc9″ icon_size=”70″ url=”https://www.facebook.com/King/?fref=ts&rf=727309040634926″][/su_icon_panel][su_icon_panel background=”transparent” border=”1px none #cccccc” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #eeeeee” icon=”icon: twitter-square” icon_color=”#1f6dc9″ icon_size=”70″ url=”https://twitter.com/king_games”][/su_icon_panel][su_note note_color=”#D9EDF7″] Thanks, VentureBeat. [/su_note][su_note note_color=”#FCF8E3″] Images by King Digital Entertaiment. [/su_note]
