Leveling Up...to the Tune of $2 Billion

Source

“I think I’m ready to pay a dollar to move up to this next level,” one friend said to another post-pizza and mimosas one Saturday evening, “And I have to play each level until I get 3 stars on each one!”

“Sometimes I set my phone’s clock ahead an hour so I can get extra lives,” another friend responded, “But sometimes I get carried away, and I can’t leave my clock set to ‘tomorrow’ any longer, and then it tells me that I have one thousand minutes until my next life!”

Laughter ensued, but given that King, Candy Crush Saga maker, is generating nearly $2 billion in annual sales, 78% of which comes from a single game, Candy Crush Saga…maybe we’re not the ones who should be laughing! The game is a free downloadable app available for iPhones, iPads, and Android. The game can be played on smart phones and tablets; by making the game accessible on different platforms, King has found that they have higher engagement, and that it’s also easier to monetize.

King should be worried that so much of its revenue comes from a single product. Even though the user base for the game reaches well into the millions, its addiction (and King's success) won't last forever. King should be concerned not only about competitors who may be trying to come up with the next social game that goes viral, but about creating other apps that their customers would find appealing.

This casual social game, like others of its nature, targets women aged 25 to 55. Candy Crush Saga (simply called "Candy Crush" by the masses) is simple to play and unsuspectingly addictive. Players must swipe to get 3 matching candies in a row, and earn special candies, like striped candies and sprinkle-covered-sweets, for getting 4 or 5 matching candies in a row in an effort to complete different tasks to get to the next level. Tasks include moving ingredients to the bottom of the screen, timed levels, and “clearing all the jellies” challenges while dealing with obstacles like licorice, expanding chocolates, and candy portals. The game dispenses 5 lives at a time, and only adds 1 life every 30 minutes (though through Facebook, players can ask other players for more lives, extra moves, etc.)

Things you might not know about Candy Crush:

• As of November 2013, half a billion people have installed Candy Crush Saga 
• In 2013, an analysis discovered that Candy Crush was bringing in $633,000 per day
• Despite King’s booming sales, King claims to be focusing on the user experience first—70% of Candy Crush Saga players finish the games with no payments at all

The Candy Crush Saga game recently changed how its “you didn’t pass this level” screen looks to users. Earlier, the game simply offered a “Continue” option if you didn’t buy extra moves or special candies. Now, the game screen still prominently displays an inexpensive offer to buy extra moves or special candies…but now includes the defeating “Give Up” button—perhaps nagging those players who have been stuck on the same level for ages?

Candy Crush Saga was the first app I purchased when I got my Google Nexus 10 tablet last summer.  To date, I haven’t purchased anything from King (yet)…but perhaps I’ll give my friend’s trick of turning my phone’s clock forward a try.