Activision Blizzard is set to buy King Digital Entertainment, the company behind "Candy Crush Saga." The acquisition is reportedly for $5.9 billion and when it goes through, Activision will be combining console gaming power with an already established brand in the mobile gaming field.
Activision's brand in the mobile gaming industry is smaller when compared to King's. One of its well-known mobile games is "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft," a free game for iOS and Android devices.
King Digital has struggled to make another game as successful as "Candy Crush." Its revenue fell 18 percent to $490 million in the second quarter, and gross bookings also dropped 13 percent, both of which the company attributed to the maturing of the "Candy Crush" franchise, according to the Associated Press.
The question now is whether Activision can help King whip up mobile games that can surpass the success of "Candy Crush," the way it did for its own PC and console games like "Call of Duty," which launches yet another sequel Friday, reported the Wall Street Journal.
King's CEO Riccardo Zacconi said the acquisition will most probably be beneficial for both companies.
"We believe that the acquisition will position us very well for the next phase of our company's evolution. We will combine our expertise in mobile and free-to-play with Activision Blizzard's world-class brands... to bring the best games in the world to millions of players worldwide," said Zacconi, according to Inquistr.
The deal between Activision and King Digital Entertainment is expected to be sealed by the second quarter of 2016.
