New 'Call of Duty' Mobile Game Will Come From House of 'Candy Crush'

By Sarah E. Needleman

Activision Blizzard Inc. tapped King, its unit behind the hit game "Candy Crush Saga," to create a new "Call of Duty" mobile game, putting one of its most lucrative properties in the hands of the casual-gaming company it acquired last year for $5.9 billion.

Call of Duty, a more-than-decade-old war-shooter series made by the Activision's publishing unit, has ranked among the top-selling PC and console games in the U.S. for years, according to NPD Group. Activision Publishing has several mobile games based on the first-person shooter game, though none have been big hits.

Handing off development of a Call of Duty game to King might seem surprising, given the division's starkly contrasting portfolio. But managing games such as "Candy Crush Soda Saga" and "Bubble Witch Saga" require a high level of expertise, said Benchmark Co. analyst Mike Hickey.

"Just because on the surface they appear simple doesn't mean their inner workings aren't highly complex," he said.

An Activision Blizzard spokeswoman declined to say whether King is working on any other games featuring characters from Activision Publishing or Blizzard Entertainment franchises. She didn't say why a studio behind a prior Call of Duty game wasn't making the new game, but that the corporate siblings had been looking at ways to work together since the acquisition.

King, which has more than 2,000 employees, listed four new jobs for the game on its website Thursday. It describes the positions at the company's Stockholm location as opportunities to break "new ground for mobile and redefining the genre."

Business Insider previously reported on the job postings.

Activision Blizzard, the biggest game publisher in the U.S. by market value, completed its acquisition of King in early 2016, instantly transforming into one of mobile gaming's top revenue generators.

King's biggest hit, the colorful 2012 puzzle game "Candy Crush Saga," remains popular today, with several successful spinoffs. Last year, King contributed about a quarter of Activision Blizzard's overall revenue of $6.61 billion.

King didn't give a timetable for releasing the new Call of Duty game. It is in the early stages of development, and details such as how the game will play or whether it will be free to download haven't been sorted out, a King spokeswoman said.

At least two existing Call of Duty mobile games cost $6.99 to download, while King's more than 200 mobile games generate revenue through in-app purchases. King recently began experimenting with putting ads in its games, a tactic it had ditched in 2013. On Activision Blizzard's most recent earnings call, King said the ad test is going well.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 07, 2017 13:56 ET (17:56 GMT)

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