'Candy Crush' maker sees up to $7.6 billion IPO valuation

[jsr]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/12/us-king-ipo-idUSBREA2B0KP20140312

'Candy Crush' maker sees up to $7.6 billion IPO valuation
By Aman Shah
Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:29am EDT

(Reuters) - King Digital Entertainment Plc, maker of hit mobile phone game "Candy Crush Saga," expects to be worth up to $7.6 billion when it goes public this month, looking to take advantage of strong demand for technology investments.

IPOs by technology companies have been highly popular in the United States and analysts say that despite King's reliance on a handful of games, its IPO would be well-received due to the popularity of its games and the conservative pricing.

Twitter Inc's successful IPO in November and a surge in Facebook Inc's shares have fueled speculation that other tech firms could go public, including music-sharing service Spotify, lodging website AirBnB and mobile payments company Square.

Dublin-based King said on Wednesday it expected to price its initial public offering of 22.2 million shares at between $21 and $24 per share. At the top of this range, the company would be valued at about $7.6 billion.

[B2G]

1. I am hopelessly addicted

to that stupid game. Lol.

[Catherina]

14. I can't even figure it out. Have you?

I play it when I'm on the phone but with a hit or miss strategy.

[B2G]

15. Yep, I'm on level 377

and haven't spent one dime on it.

[Catherina]

18. I need to PM you then! I don't think I've ever gotten past level 2 lol! n/t

[snooper2]

2. fucking ridiculous

[PowerToThePeople]

3. Seriously?

Some dumb flash game gets 7.6 billion?

Isn't there something better we can be doing with our money?

[B2G]

4. No one is forcing you to buy shares...

[PowerToThePeople]

5. I wouldn't

I would short it. But, someone is putting HUGE resources towards it. Uncalled for imho.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Somebody please explain what the attraction is. I've seen the games and played them

but I have never gotten addicted. Is it like a meditation effect that comes over a person when they play it a lot, or what?

[GeorgeGist]

7. a fool and his money ...

[Timez Squarez]

8. If it's worth that much.

Then King.com needs to pay a lot of royalities to the original owner (hint, it is NOT CANDY CRUSH!)

Some idiot stole the idea and made it their own. Guy already went public with the original game and showed comparsion.

He applied for a trademark and patent two years before Candy Crush was even born.

It was called Candy Swipe.

http://kotaku.com/candy-crush-saga-is-ripping-me-off-says-indie-develope-1521728191

[Catherina]

16. I hope he pushes harder and wins n/t

[Bonobo]

9. IGDA Calls Out "Predatory" Candy Crush Trademark Claims

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132349-IGDA-Calls-Out-Predatory-Candy-Crush-Trademark-Claims
The International Game Developers Association says King's trademark claims on Candy Crush Saga are overreaching and predatory.

King's trademark claims against everything even tangentially infringing upon its Candy Crush Saga have been heavy-handed to say the least. Even as it apologized for cloning games itself and claimed that it was only going after actual infringers, it purchased the rights to an old game in order to undercut a trademark claim against it by the maker of CandySwipe.

It's ugly business by any measure, and it's finally come to the point that the International Game Developers Association has decided to weigh in.

"As an advocacy organization for game developers, the IGDA diligently monitors issues that may restrict a developer's ability to create and distribute his or her work," the IGDA said in a statement. "While we understand and respect the appropriate exercise of Trademark rights, King's overreaching filing in its application for the Trademark for its game Candy Crush Saga, and its predatory efforts to apply that mark to each separate word contained in that name, are in opposition to the values of openness and cooperation we support industry wide, and directly contradict the statement King's CEO, Riccardo Zacconi, made on 27 January."

[NoOneMan]

10. LOL!!!

Welcome to the idiocracy.

[penultimate]

11. Weird how a simple 'time waster' game like that can be valued at so much

[DireStrike]

12. Wow I wish I had some money to short this trash.

CC is not only a fad, it's stolen from another developer. If wall street is taking bets on whether this company can turn out another such hit, I know where my money would go. If I had any.

[1awake]

13. It's sad that this is a stolen game first developed by a no name guy. nt

[1000words]

17. One of the dumbest wastes of time