# King Digital Entertainment PLC (KING)



## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

So the company behind the game CandyCrush had their IPO today @ $22.50..... it was a bloodbath stock is down 15.56% to $19.00. All these tech IPO with insane valuation.... KING will be another Zynga imo


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I really don't know what moat there is for these casual/mobile game companies. I don't see why anyone would pay huge multiples for this kind of business.

In other news, King software is a bit of a dirtbag when it comes to trademarks. They trademarked the words candy, crush and saga. They were threatening the indie developers of the game 'The Banner Saga' (a completely unrelated and different kind of game) with litigation over use of the word 'saga'. It's totally absurd.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Candy Crush is their biggest game to date........but they also have a big games website that gains revenue from buying "gems", "levels", or other things.

Candy Crush is basically a ripoff of the "Bejeweled" game with some novel twists and the ability to buy "power ups" etc.

These game companies are only as good as their last successful game, and few of them maintain any dominance over the long term.


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## maxandrelax (Jul 11, 2012)

sags said:


> These game companies are only as good as their last successful game, and few of them maintain any dominance over the long term.


 I traded COOL (Majesco) a few years back. There is always this hope for the next big thing that never comes. Tough business.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Their secret sauce is not the game. It is how to make a maximally manipulative/addictive game to pump as much cash as possible from users. To call the games 'free to play' is a bit of a misnomer. It's pay to win, and not too dissimilar to video poker (optimized to destroy lives), except you always lose your money.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

They are free to play. I'm on like level 490 and I've never paid. However, I agree with you about addictive (at least Candy Crush - I tried a couple of their other games and they didn't grab me at all). 

I hear they make quite a bit from people paying to get boosters/extra lives/etc, but I agree it's probably a short-lived sensation that won't last.


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## Butters (Apr 20, 2012)

Spudd said:


> They are free to play. I'm on like level 490 and I've never paid. However, I agree with you about addictive (at least Candy Crush - I tried a couple of their other games and they didn't grab me at all).
> 
> I hear they make quite a bit from people paying to get boosters/extra lives/etc, but I agree it's probably a short-lived sensation that won't last.


Just roll your iphone clock ahead, unlimited lives  
i downloaded it because everyone else was playing it, i got to about level 50, got bored
never paid a dime

stock will drop below 10$ by fall


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

They really only need kids with access to mom & dad CC to play. There are some 'free to play' games that offer in game currency packs for up to hundreds of dollars. It's sheer insanity. Buy a real game for max $60 (and lots of great ones for $10), not a manipulative midway game designed to bilk you for cash.


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## JordoR (Aug 20, 2013)

Last time I checked Candy Crush was making somewhere around the sum of $850,000 per day... considering it's a "free to play" game that's pretty funny.


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## SkyFall (Jun 19, 2012)

closed @ $16.25 exactly what I was expecting....


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