Call of Duty publisher Activision snaps up maker of Candy Crush for $5.9 billion

Activision has announced that its deal to acquire Candy Crush developer King Digital for $5.9 billion is now complete. The deal, which was originally announced in November of 2015, will see the mobile juggernaut that is Candy Crush join an already impressive lineup of blockbuster franchises from Activision. Says Activision's Bobby Kotick:

"We now reach over 500 million users across almost every country, making us the largest game network in the world. We see great opportunities to create new ways for audiences to experience their favorite franchises, from Candy Crush to World of Warcraft to Call of Duty and more, across mobile devices, consoles and personal computers. On behalf of Activision Blizzard, we are delighted to welcome Riccardo, Sebastian, Stephane and all of King's talented employees to our family."

The deal comes following regulatory approval in Ireland — where King is based. According to the terms of the deal, King's Riccardo Zacconi will stay on as CEO as the company operates as an independent unit of Activision.

Source: Activision; Via: TechCrunch

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl