Candy Crush Saga led the way for a new generation of mobile games, as one of the first freemium apps to generate over $1 billion revenue.
King, which was already the second largest Facebook gaming publisher in 2012, saw mobile as the next step for freemium games and launched Candy Crush, which was already trending well on Facebook, on November 14, 2012 for iOS.
Candy Crush alone shifted the fortunes of King, with the company reporting a 1084 percent increase in revenue from 2012 to 2013. It competed with Clash of Clans for highest grossing game from 2013 to 2017.
Off the back of Candy Crush’s success, King filed for IPO in 2013.
Even though Candy Crush has remained a stable revenue source for King, it Kings monthly active users peaked in 2015. It has launched several spin-offs, including Soda Saga, Jelly Saga and Friends Saga, which have all generated hundreds of millions for the publisher.
In 2016, King was acquired by Activision Blizzard for $5.9 billion.
While Candy Crush is not in the same position it was half a decade ago, it is still one of the highest grossing games. It has a loyal fanbase of over 250 million users who play it more than a once a month, and continues to add levels to the game for returning players.
It has also, for better or worse, been one of the most influential games over the past decade, responsible for many of the decisions of video game publishers since 2015. The freemium model has been exported to every platform.
We have collected data and statistics on Candy Crush Saga. Read on below to find out more.
Candy Crush key statistics
- Candy Crush generated $1.2 billion in 2021, making it the seventh highest grossing mobile title
- It generated $857 million in 2020, a 15 percent increase year-on-year
- Candy Crush is the sixth highest grossing mobile game of all time
- 273 million people play Candy Crush once a month. MAUs peaked in 2015 with 327 million users
- Across all platforms, Candy Crush has been downloaded more than 2.7 billion times
Candy Crush overview
| Title 1 | Tiutle 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 12 April 2012 (iOS: 14 November 2012) |
| HQ | St. Julian's, Malta |
| People | Humam Sakhnini (President), Tjodolf Sommestad (CDO), Sebastian Knutsson (CCO) |
| Business type | Subsidiary |
| Owner | Activision Blizzard |
| Industry | Mobile games |
Candy Crush revenue
Candy Crush revenue has stayed at near the same level for two years, increasing from $1.19 billion in 2020 to $1.21 billion in 2021.
Candy Crush annual revenue 2012 to 2021 ($mm)
| Year | Revenue ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 77 |
| 2013 | 230 |
| 2014 | 1130 |
| 2015 | 1293 |
| 2016 | 784 |
| 2017 | 695 |
| 2018 | 930 |
| 2019 | 1117 |
| 2020 | 1190 |
| 2021 | 1211 |
Sources: Company data, Sensor Tower
King operating income
King has maintained a positive operating income for the past four years, reporting an operating income of $1.1 billion in 2021.
King annual operating income 2018 to 2021 ($mm)
| Year | Operating income ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 751 |
| 2019 | 740 |
| 2020 | 858 |
| 2021 | 1139 |
Candy Crush users
Candy Crush had 255 million users in 2021. It is difficult to estimate an exact figure, as King only publishes usage for its entire catalog of apps.
Candy Crush annual users 2013 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 287 |
| 2014 | 322 |
| 2015 | 327 |
| 2016 | 303 |
| 2017 | 293 |
| 2018 | 283 |
| 2019 | 272 |
| 2020 | 273 |
| 2021 | 255 |
Sources: Company data
Candy Crush downloads
Candy Crush has been downloaded over three billion times since launch, making it one of the most popular mobile games ever.
Candy Crush cumulative downloads 2013 to 2022 (mm)
| Year | Downloads (bn) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.5 |
| 2015 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | 2.7 |
| 2022 | 3.4 |
Source: Company data
Candy Crush levels
There are over 10,000 levels in Candy Crush. King has progressively added more each year to keep old users coming back.
Candy Crush levels available to play
| Year | Levels |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,000 |
| 2020 | 8,900 |
| 2021 | 10,100 |
Source: Company data
Candy Crush FAQ
When did Activision acquire King?
Activision Blizzard acquired King in 2016 for $5.9 billion
How many users play Candy Crush Saga more than three hours?
According to senior executive Alex Daly, more than nine million people play the game for more than three hours daily. This statement was later retracted by King as inaccurate (Metro)
How much revenue does Candy Crush Saga generate daily?
According to Sensor Tower, Candy Crush Saga generated $4.2 million per day in 2018
How many levels are there on Candy Crush Saga?
There are 8,900 levels on the HTML5 version
How many hours have been played on Candy Crush Saga?
Users have spent 73 billion hours on Candy Crush Saga
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