Today, Candy Crush Saga uses the freemium model of revenue generation.Īll aspects of gameplay are available for free, but users can opt to pay to receive help finishing difficult levels. The initial source of income for King was advertising revenue, but this strategy was abandoned in 2013. Ultimately, this cross-platform strategy was vital to the game’s later success.Īctivision Blizzard acquired King for $5.9 billion in 2015, giving Zacconi a stake worth approximately $584 million. The game was then launched on mobile with an important distinction: players could jump seamlessly between their cell phone and desktop without losing their progress. In 2012, Candy Crush Saga was launched on Facebook but experienced strong competition from rival Zynga. Something people naturally are attracted to. “ Most of the games before had had jewels, or precious metals, but not things you see in everyday life. The idea for Candy Crush Saga came to Zacconi while he was in the bathtub. Chief among which was Bubble Saga, a game based on one or two-minute intervals with the ability for players to track their progress on a map. King would then test hundreds of games, weeding out the duds and retaining the more promising titles. In 2007, King decided to launch on Facebook after the social media giant opened up to game developers. Two years later, the co-founders raised enough money to purchase the domain. King – then known as Midasplayer – eventually released over 200 games on Yahoo and AOL where competitors would play against each other for a small entrance fee.

Investment capital was hard to come by in the wake of the dot-com bubble, so Zacconi slept on a friend’s couch for two years while he developed the company. History of Candy CrushĬandy Crush Saga is a match-three puzzle video game developed and published by King, a company specializing in social network-based games.īusinessman Riccardo Zacconi co-founded King in 2003 after selling a subscription dating service he had also founded several years previous. Today, Candy Crush Saga uses the freemium model ( free to play) of revenue generation. Businessman Riccardo Zacconi co-founded King in 2003 after selling a subscription dating service he had also founded several years previous. Home PageĬandy Crush Saga is a match-three puzzle video game developed and published by King, a company specializing in social network-based games.Digital Business Models Podcast by FourWeekMBA.Business Strategy Book Bundle By FourWeekMBA.An Entire MBA In Four Weeks By FourWeekMBA.100+ Business Models Book By FourWeekMBA.

Maker of candy crush