Activision Blizzard has agreed to acquire the company behind the popular Candy Crush Saga and Farm Hero games, King Digital Entertainment, for $5.9 billion in cash. King Digital’s games consist of a community of more than 340 million unique users. Activision, of course, is the company behind hit console games like the Call of Duty series.
So much for a simple Bejeweled knock-off. According to ThinkGaming (via Slate), the #1 Top Grossing app Candy Crush is currently pulling in an estimated $633,000 a day. At this rate, the creators of the game could bring in $230 million a year from the revenue of this one game.
Candy Crush is yet another success story for the freemium app model. Currently, 45 of the top 50 grossing applications in the App Store right now are free – one of which is Bejeweled Blitz at #45.
The Candy Crush craze is turning into a massive cash cow and incredible example of the potential success for freemium apps.
