Candy Crush
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A swarm of 500 drones will plague New York City with advertising tomorrow
A swarm of 500 drones will invade New York City's skyline to sell you on 'Candy Crush.'
English politician caught playing Candy Crush for two hours during government meeting
Candy Crush Saga is addictive, so addictive in fact that it can keep lawmakers from doing the job taxpayers pay them to do. According to The Sun, MP Nigel Mills was rocking a long Candy Crush play session during a meeting regarding pensions and insurance -- in which he asked a few pre-written questions and then played the game on his taxpayer-funded iPad for as long as two and a half hours. A video of Mills tapping away on his tablet was provided to The Sun by an unnamed individual sitting in on the meeting. Now, rather than investigating whether or not a lawmaker should be playing games while "working," an investigation is in motion to track down the person who actually caught the act on film, as doing so is a breach of protocol. To be fair, everyone should have probably seen this coming. After all, the slogan Nigel Mills has front and center of his website is "Your priorities are my priorities," and given the absurd success of Candy Crush Saga, it is definitely a priority for much of the world. Mills has since apologized for his lack of attentiveness during the meeting, following his earlier claim that he was "fully engaged" in the session. Twitter, as you might imagine, is still having a good bit of fun with it: Fair to say that Nigel Mills is on the naughty list this year. He'll have to make do with Candy Crush on Christmas day. - Project.Elf (@_ProjectElf_) December 8, 2014 I suspect Nigel Mills doesn't play Candy Crush while doing his expenses. - Colin Williams (@colincwilliams) December 8, 2014 Nigel Mills promises never to play Candy Crush again at work. Ski Safari is much better, and feels a bit more seasonal. - Malcolm Robertson (@mrobertson_1) December 8, 2014 [Photo via Nigel Mills MP]
MP admits he was Candy Crushing it during a parliamentary meeting
We're sure there are many ways a politician can pass the time during a dull parliamentary meeting, but clearing a few levels in Candy Crush Saga probably wouldn't rank high on that list. Nigel Mills, a Conservative MP for Amber Valley, was caught doing exactly that last week, after he was filmed scooping up candies with his iPad in a Work and Pensions Committee debate. In a statement to The Sun he fessed up to the political faux-pass, but said he was always "fully engaged" with the discussion and "shall try not to do it [again] in future." The House of Commons has already jumped into action, but not in the way you might expect; it's now reportedly investigating the "breach of the filming rules" which caught the minister bang to rights. While the incident will certainly leave Mills a little red-faced, it's probably a nice bit of publicity for a UK game developer that's been struggling since its high profile IPO.
King is praying that soda will revive Candy Crush
Candy Crush Saga has made publisher King a lot of money since its release in 2012, but those days have passed. Seeing strong competition from other free-to-play games, King's third quarter results were dire, with revenues down 17 percent since the previous year and 13 percent from the previous quarter, and profits were down 38 percent from a year prior. The number of people who actually pay in to their free-to-play game model fell from 10.4 million to 8.7 million. So, naturally, the company has decided more Candy Crush is needed. Candy Crush Soda Saga saw its worldwide release on Tuesday and quickly rocketed to the top of the app charts. Well, it topped the "Free" chart, but according to App Annie's realtime data, it hasn't yet cracked the top 150 overall grossing, so how much it will immediately help reverse King's fortunes is anyone's guess. It's worth noting that King still has four games in the 20 top grossing on the entire App Store. That's a tremendous amount of success -- and money -- for a relatively small company, and has to make you wonder where all that cash is actually going. One place it certainly isn't being spent is in the development of original game ideas, as King has yet to actually publish a title that isn't clearly derivative of a popular puzzle game that came before it. King has already gotten in legal trouble for cloning games in the past, while also going on record to state that the company definitely doesn't clone games. It appears Apple might have some competition in the "reality distortion field" market.
Juice the Fruits takes on Candy Crush with a healthier twist
Juice the Fruits is a puzzle game featuring colorful, cartoonish fruit on a grid that you have to rearrange to match them and eliminate them from the board. It's very much like Bejeweled and Candy Crush, except with fruit. You play using your Game Center account against a random online opponent and whoever is able to create the most matches on their own grid wins by damaging the other person with their skill points. It's free with in-app purchases for iPhone and iPad. What's your favorite fruit? Juice the Fruits wants you to make it your character for the game. Banana Buddy is your only option to start off, but as you complete more levels you unlock the rest of the characters: Blackberry Baby, Walter Melon, Pineapple Pal, Sweet Strawberry, Apple Adam and Orange Ollie. After you have your character, either jump right into the game by tapping "Juice Them Up" or get a little practice first by entering the "Training Room." Knowing that I'm always highly mediocre at this type of game, I for some reason decided to skip the training session. You get only 30 seconds to make as many matches as you can, so get to work. I got a whopping two matches after the first round and I didn't want to use my power-ups just yet, so I decided to head into the Training Room. Here, the experience is much of the same. The 30 second timer goes off, you have an opponent, but the only difference is after 30 seconds you get a score and the game automatically starts over again. I was hoping for a little more out of this mode, like perhaps some pointers, but it's passable. Back in the game, it's time to put those power-ups to good use. There's five total and you get to use each of them twice before you have to start racking up those in-app purchase expenses. The shuffle power-up shuffles the board, Investigate highlights on the board potential areas where a match is possible, a shield blocks the damage (or "flashes") that your opponent automatically throws at you after each game, a flash gives your opponent an extra zap while boosting your own points and a sun does a bit of a magic trick, twirling the board around and eliminating every fruit that forms an "X" spanning the grid. When you run out of power-ups, the Power-Up Shop offers each one for US$0.99, a pack of three for $1.99 or a pack of seven for $3.99. This is awfully pricey. Say you want one of each, it'll run you $5 - way too much for any game, let alone one about fruit. To push through levels for free, you just have to play Juice the Fruits the old fashioned way: with skill. The game offers some other features like changing the wardrobe of your fruit character, a little odd but I'm sure pleasing to kids. These get unlocked with level-ups or more in-app purchases. Juice the Fruits is enjoyable and a great time-passer. It differentiates itself more than enough from the intense competition Candy Crush brings, but the in-app purchase costs are somewhat out of my comfort zone. That gripe aside, snag Juice the Fruits in the App Store for free.
I'd like to apologize to Kim Kardashian
I've been hard on Kim Kardashian. Well, not necessarily hard on her as a person, but I've always written about her iOS game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, in a negative way. I apologize for that. I still think the app itself is the kind that appeals to the lowest common denominator, and wouldn't bother wasting a dime on it, but for the first time since KK: Hollywood became a hit, I now have what I can only describe as some much needed perspective. That perspective came in the form of a quarterly earnings report from Candy Crush publisher King Digital Entertainment. In its report, King noted some disappointing numbers, including a 12% drop in paying users. Analysts have cried foul and recommended investors to hold off on King at the moment, and the company's stock has taken a beating as a result, down almost 25% as of this writing. But where does Kim Kardashian fit in? Well, her wickedly popular celebrity simulator, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has been sucking up loads of cash from App Store customers, and according to King, some of that cash was supposed to be going to them instead. "Competition within casual gaming is intense," the report reads, "with Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and 2048 going after the same demographics." King is blaming its failing App Store strategy -- which consists entirely of copying existing game concepts and rehashing them -- at least partly on Kim Kardashian's app. Thank you, Ms. Kardashian. To be clear: I'm not thanking the newlywed celebrity for costing King money, because I honestly don't believe KK: Hollywood is to blame for King's woes. What I am thankful for is the opportunity to view her celeb simulator in a new light. I still don't consider KK: Hollywood to be much of a game, but that doesn't really matter. What it is, is original, well made, and an absolute cash cow that deserves to be raking in money just like it has been. With a celebrity of the caliber of Kim Kardashian attached to it, the game had a pretty good chance of becoming a hit, but it was by no means a guarantee. In short, the Kardashian app was more of a risk than anything King has created in the 11 years the company has been around. Despite a US$7 billion IPO and more investors than any company could possibly know what to do with, King has yet to risk its now plummeting stock price on anything even remotely resembling an original idea. Now they're paying for it. Kim Kardashian -- whether or not she was deeply involved with how her game actually plays or not -- was able to do it on her first try. Bravo, Kim. Bravo.
King crushes trademark dispute with Banner Saga, CandySwipe devs
Candy Crush Saga developer King settled trademark disputes with The Banner Saga developer Stoic Studio and CandySwipe developer Runsome Apps, according to updates from both studios. "Stoic is pleased to have come to an agreement with King regarding Stoic's The Banner Saga trademark, which enables both parties to protect their respective trademarks now and in the future," Stoic Studio wrote, referring to the ongoing tension between the two developers over the term "saga." King said in January that it wasn't against The Banner Saga's name, though its legal opposition to Stoic's own trademark filing remained. At the time, Stoic said it would make another "saga" game regardless of King's trademark. Runsome Apps wrote that it is withdrawing its opposition to King's trademark for "candy," and the Candy Crush Saga developer is pulling its counterclaim against Runsome Apps. "I have learned that they picked the Candy Crush name before I released my game and that they were never trying to take my game away," the developer wrote. "Both our games can continue to coexist without confusing players." King withdrew its application to trademark "candy" in the U.S. in February, and saw opposition to its European trademark for the word in March from Cut the Rope developer ZeptoLab.
John Sculley regrets ousting Steve Jobs and other news for April 18, 2014
It's Friday! Slip on a pair of loafers and browse today's Apple news in a leisurely fashion. Because it's Friday. And you're a boss. In an interview with Times of India, former Apple CEO John Sculley admitted that ousting Steve Jobs was a mistake. "I think there could have been a way, in hindsight, where Steve and I did not need to have a confrontation, and we could have worked it out," he told the Times. "And, perhaps the board could have played a bigger role in that. But you can't change history." John seems to spend a lot of time saying, "I fired Steve Jobs once." Candy Crush developer admits it can't own "candy." Not long ago, the makers of Candy Crush wanted to trademark the word "candy." They've withdrawn the application in the US, but managed to win it in Europe. Still, it seems there's some wiggle room, as the company has let apps Banner Saga and CandySwipe keep those monikers. Sugar crush! Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has posted a "super, double top-secret of the iPhone 7. He even names his source.
King withdraws 'candy' trademark attempt [Update: King issues statement]
Candy Crush Saga developer King has withdrawn its trademark application for the word "candy," reversing a controversial move and potentially leaving developers free to create candy-themed mobile games without fear of legal action. King requested abandonment of its broad trademark on February 24, following a recent opposition statement from the International Game Developers Association. King's trademark was approved for publication in January. "Our IP is constantly being infringed and we have to enforce our rights and to protect our players from confusion," a King representative stated following the trademark's publication approval. The trademark application's complete history is documented under the "Prosecution History" subheading here at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website. King's related attempt to trademark the word "saga" remains under suspension. [Update: A King spokesperson clarified the company's decision. "King has withdrawn its trademark application for Candy in the U.S., which we applied for in February 2013 before we acquired the early rights to Candy Crusher," the spokesperson said. "Each market that King operates in is different with regard to IP. We feel that having the rights to Candy Crusher is the best option for protecting Candy Crush in the U.S. market. This does not affect our E.U. trademark for Candy and we continue to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP."] [Image: King]
Daily Roundup: Super Bowl XLVIII survival guide, iWatch rumors and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Candy Crush dev King pulls Pac-Avoid following copycat accusation
King has pulled Pac-Avoid, the game indie developer Stolen Goose recently accused the Candy Crush Saga developer of cloning. Stolen Goose alleged that Epic Shadow-developed Pac-Avoid was a direct clone of its own 2009 game, Scamperghost, which the developer pitched to King before backing out of the deal to bring the game to rival online game portal Max Games. "The details of the situation are complex, but the bottom line is that we should never have published Pac-Avoid," King CEO and Co-Founder Riccardo Zacconi wrote on the company's website. "We have taken the game down from our site, and we apologise for having published it in the first place." Zacconi added that this "unfortunate situation is an exception to the rule," stressing that the developer "does not clone games, and we do not want anyone cloning our games." He noted that King performs "a thorough search" of existing games and reviews trademark filings to avoid infringement. Former Epic Shadow developer Matt Porter responded to King's retraction of the game, calling King's claimed thorough search of games in the marketplace "an obvious lie." "Our only additional term to the deal, was that the Epic Shadow branding not be placed in the game, as we found the entire project to be sketchy and we wanted nothing to do with it post-release," Porter wrote. This is the latest in King's controversial saga, in which it trademarked the word "candy" in order to deny mobile clones of Candy Crush Saga. King also set its sights on The Banner Saga developer Stoic Studio, opposing its application for "Banner Saga." Zacconi said King will not enforce the use of its trademarked word "saga" on Stoic Studios, but opposed the application to "preserve our own ability to protect our own games."
The Candy Jam invites devs to make games using the industry's litigious vocabulary
In response to news that Candy Crush Saga developer King has trademarked the word "candy," and has begun enforcing it in a way reminiscent of patent trolling, indie devs Cariboo and UUAV have established The Candy Jam. The Candy Jam invites developers to make games involving the litigious world of sweets, throwing "bonus points" behind teams that make liberal use of other common words dredged up in recent outrageous trademark fillings, such as "scroll," "saga," "edge," and more. The game jam is open to developers from today through February 3. Why hold a gamejam revolving around the current candy saga? "Because trademarking common words is ridiculous and because it gives us an occasion to make another gamejam," the event's website proclaims.
Candy Crush dev: we won't enforce against all uses of 'candy' trademark
Candy Crush Saga developer King said it will not enforce against all uses of the trademark "candy." This follows news that the broad trademark was approved for publication in the United States, granting the public 30 days to file opposition against the trademark once published before King receives a certificate of registration for the mark from the USPTO. "We have trademarked the word 'CANDY' in the EU, as our IP is constantly being infringed and we have to enforce our rights and to protect our players from confusion," King told Gamezebo. "We don't enforce against all uses of CANDY – some are legitimate and of course, we would not ask App developers who use the term legitimately to stop doing so." The developer first applied to register the trademark with the USPTO in February 2013 and was granted approval for publication by the examining attorney last week. King also applied to trademark the term "saga" in regards to online and multiplayer video games with the USPTO in late 2011, though that application is currently suspended.
Candy Crush dev's 'candy' trademark approved for publication
The US Patent and Trademark Office has approved the trademark "candy" for publication for King, the developer of the hit free-to-play match three game, Candy Crush Saga. King filed an application with the USPTO for the trademark in February 2013, which was updated last week to note its approval for publication by the examining attorney. If it's published without opposition, the trademark grants King the exclusive use of the term "candy" in video game and clothing products. Once published, the public (namely, developers of games and apps that use the word "candy") has 30 days to issue a statement of opposition to the trademark office before a certificate of registration is handed to King. The phenomenon isn't new, as another social games developer threw its weight around with its seemingly broad trademarked terms: Zynga sent cease-and-desist letters to developers like Blingville LLC and Kojobo for the use of its now-trademarked suffix "ville" in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Candy Crush dev delays IPO to prove its worth, announces new game
Candy Crush developer King has delayed its stock market launch until next year in order to establish its worth beyond a single standout hit in the social and mobile gaming markets, The Telegraph reports. In a bid to prove that it's not just a one-hit wonder, King announced that it will bring its Facebook hit Farm Heroes Saga to iOS and Android devices in 2014. Boasting match-three gameplay in the same vein as King's Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga will sync save data with Facebook, allowing players to resume their progress and unlock new levels on any supported platform. Rival social game publisher Zynga began public trading on Nasdaq in 2011, but faltered when it failed to follow up on the success of its Farmville games. Rovio faced similar concerns with its Angry Birds series, announcing recently that it has no plans for an initial public offering.
Candy Crush Saga passes 500m downloads, Bejeweled fans shake their heads
I won't play Candy Crush Saga -- mainly because it bothers me that Bejeweled never reached the same level of mainstream popularity -- but a lot of people do play it. Developer King revealed to The Telegraph that a whopping 500,000,000 have played the game across web and mobile platforms. The color-matching puzzler debuted on Facebook in April of 2012, followed by an iOS version in November and finally an Android release in December. According to King, a staggering 78% of US fans play the game while watching TV, and Level 65 is the one that is most likely to trip players up. When players do hit a brick wall they always have the option of resorting to the game's in-app market for a help in exchange for cash, but the company claims 60% of players don't pay a dime. Of course, that still means that the other 40% are shelling out an unspecified amount of cash to get passed the more difficult levels.
The power of free-to-play app pricing
"Free-to-play." For mobile gamers, those simple three words (often abbreviated as FTP) have a host of different meanings. For optimists, it means people can play high-quality games with little or no financial investment of their own. For others, it's a game-crippling inconvenience that ends up getting in the way of a good time. This writer falls into the latter category of "just let me buy the game once and leave me alone," but as the success of FTP games like Candy Crush Saga has shown, I'm in the minority. In fact 82 of the top-grossing games on the iPhone are FTP. They're here to stay, so we should probably learn to live with them. What makes a successful free-to-play game? Geoffrey Goetz of Gigaom.com has written an incredible -- and long -- rundown of the free-to-play market that answers the question "Why is free-to-play pricing so effective?" The answer is simple to understand, but complex to fully explain. It works a lot like how your parents probably explained drugs to you -- the first hit is free, but from then on, you start paying. As a developer, how do you make that first "hit" enjoyable? It comes down to three major factors, according to Goetz: Flow, Intermediate Currency and Dynamic Pricing. Flow is a game's ability to get you involved in play, and keep you involved. This is done by giving you a clear task, such as gardening or clearing all the Jellies in a level of Candy Crush. Intermediate Currency is removing the obvious exchange of money from your transaction. That's why so many games have you buying gems or coins for in-game purchases instead of using your everyday money. Your brain doesn't see gems and coins as real money when you're spending them in real time. Finally, these games use Dynamic Pricing to give you the illusion of saving money when the game wants you to. You might balk at paying $5 for access to a fire-breathing dog in an iOS game, but holy crap! Did you know that same dog is only $2 if you buy him on Labor Day? Those are the kind of savings that will drive you from the picket lines! The rest of Goetz's article examines the other aspects of the free-to-play marketplace and is well worth your time to read. Gamer happiness with in-app purchases, how parents can control their children's app spending and an examination of the real expense of virtual goods are just some of the angles he covers that I've personally never considered. Head over to Gigaom for the complete article. Depending on where you're at in Candy Crush, you probably have anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours before you can play again anyway! Unless, of course, you want to throw down a few extra dollars...
Plants vs Zombies 2: First look
Right now, my iPad is my enemy. On it is Plants vs Zombies 2 (free, or more realistically, "free, but you are an IAP target waiting to be plucked repeatedly"), just released last night and since about 11PM yesterday, well, let's just say sleep and work went by the wayside. It's a funny kind of upgrade. There are bits about it I'm disappointed with, but overall, it has charmed me. You don't purchase PvZ 2. It's a free download. Instead, the emphasis has transferred to in-app purchases, with hardcore upsells throughout the app. If Candy Crush is the great Satan of IAP abuse, PvZ 2 is certainly an acolyte. I'd much rather pay US$10 or $20 for a full app than constantly be treated as a mark. But this is the way the App Store works these days. Visuals are the first big change you notice in PvZ 2. The artwork has lost the glossy beauty from the original PvZ. It feels more like an embedded web game (is "Facebooky" a word?) than the original. The designs are flatter, less three-dimensional, and while certainly playable, it looks more basic overall. The gameplay, however, remains delightful. I love the storytelling (yes, even Crazy Dave), the challenges, the new tools and the overall epic. In this version of PvZ, you work your way through a quest through time to bring Crazy Dave back to the present, so he can eat more spicy tacos. No one ever said PvZ was Shakespeare. The game starts off with a hint of dinosaur bones beneath the turf, a suggestion of the overall theme, then quickly throws you back to ancient Egypt where you battle historic-style Zombies. If you're familiar with the original PvZ, all your skills and strategies still apply, but there are plenty of engaging and fun new twists. I'm looking forward to other historic venues as the game continues. Features like plant food (that zap your lawn defenders into overdrive) and power-ups (pinching the heads off zombies -- more fun than it sounds, flicking and zapping your zombies) offer intriguing interaction updates. New plants, new obstacles and a bunch of new challenges (archaeologist zombies with torches, dustdevil storm zombies) provide plenty of play fun. In the end, PvZ 2 transcends "more of the same." It's a fun and noteworthy update, one that I'd have been happy to pay a premium for if PopCap weren't so insistent on keeping its hand outstretched for IAPs. It would be a far better game if they converted it to simple pay-then-play, but I suspect their bottom line has taught them how today's App Store market can optimize revenue. I really liked it as I played it, but I do hope I can do so without ever using any IAPs. Should PopCap reconsider and offer a single-payment option that reconsiders this approach, I'll be in line with my credit card.
Candy Crush updates with new power-up, episodes. Still no counseling feature.
Warn your family; say goodbye to your coworkers; and contact your support system. Candy Crush has been updated with two new episodes of sticky exploding candy goodness. Take a trip up Pudding Pagoda to see if you can clear all the rows. Once you're done, head to Licorice Tower and ask yourself why they haven't figured out a Red Vines power-up yet. Inquiring minds want to know. The new episodes bring the total number of levels in the game to 395, so seriously, your boss should understand all your extra lunch breaks. In addition, Crushers have been given a new weapon in the war against the high fructose horde, the Cake Bomb Blocker, which clears the entire game board. There is still no power up that offers counseling services for Candy Crush addicts. Keep your fingers crossed for the next update. The update also makes Candy Crush's plans for world domination clear with the addition of new supported languages. Speakers of Czech, Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak and Polish must not warn their family of the upcoming Crush. Candy was coming, and now it is here. You can find Candy Crush 1.15.0 in the app store now. God help your souls.
