One year ago, King.com was one of the most widely admired companies in the mobile space.
But just as its stock performed on its first day of trading, things have gone south for the Candy Crush Saga creator’s public image.
King.com might have conquered the world with its addictive app Candy Crush Saga, but when it comes to Wall Street, the company’s looking more like a court jester.
Shares of the developer began trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday morning following weeks of anticipation, but they quickly nosedived.
King, the company behind the mobile smash Candy Crush Saga, isn’t content with owning your free time. Now it wants a part of your everyday vocabulary, too.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved the company’s application to trademark the word “candy” across a variety of platforms, ranging from computer games to cassette tapes to shower caps.
Mobile gamers were on a sugar rush in 2013.
Apple has released its lists of the top apps of the year, and no surprise here: Candy Crush Saga was the hands-down winner. King’s addictive social/mobile was downloaded more than any other free app in the company’s iTunes app store, topping both the iPhone and iPad lists.
Not too long ago, many people believed Facebook was the Next Big Thing in gaming. Developers debated it — sometimes ferociously — at conventions, while venture capitalists couldn’t fund the companies making those games fast enough.
But over the past few months, the air seems to have been let out of Facebook’s tires. Major publishers are withdrawing their support. Pop culture breakouts like Farmville are far and few between. Most damningly, players seem to have moved on to other diversions.