Blizzard buying King, just as morally rotten?

[Deleted]

So we all know King, the company that literally copy pasted one man's game (who made it for his sick daughter) and tried to sue that same man.
Now Activision buys King? Basicly rewarding a stealing piece of shit company with over 5 billion? Thats like buying stolen nazi art KNOWING its stolen nazi art.

Does that make Activision just as morally rotten as King or the enrichers right after the second world war?

Discuss.

[Hyve]

Seems like a minute, tiny thing to get butt hurt over ...

[Deleted]

First of all, it's Actvision, and they're doing it to expand their product portfolio into mobile gaming.

King has been cheap for a while because of the waning popularity of Candy Crush, and it's cheap and easy to do acquisitions right now, so Activision is taking advantage.

[Deleted]

If you have issues with a company screwing people over even passing through the legal system than you need to take it up with the system itself and not the company who is just using the tools given to them.

[Notchris]

Sounds like someone would have to try really hard to feel annoyed at any of this.

I...I agree.

I feel so fucking dirty now.

[Deleted]

A business bought another business. Better get outraged.

[Darksoldierr]

I have no words for threads like these. Literally beyond saving.

[Dundebuns]

I was offered a job as a tester at King. Bugger....

[Cizr]

I would buy stolen nazi art because in the end its just a nice piece of art.

[Ravenblade]

It is at least as rotten as King Louis XIV.

On a more serious note: CandySwipe and Candy Crush Saga are very similar and it's likely the latter copied from the first. However ideas are not subject to copyright protection. Neither is similarity in arts and visual style. This wasn't even the issue. The issue between Runsome and Stoic over trademarks which is always a silly subject especially since it's basically about which party can troll harder. It's very easy: CC Saga was designed to be a cash cow from the ground up, CandySwipe started out as pastime game for the developer's ill mother. What King did back then with its trademark war was questionable however the fact that they had more success with the copied idea isn't really going to haunt them. If morals in form of uniqueness of ideas would apply to gaming we would all still play Pong Saga 2015 - Collectors Edition because in one way or another every other game has been a derivative of Pong since 1972.

[Sellest]

link to article about tradmark since there was nothing from OP:

http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/13/candy-...opied-4303096/

[Deleted]

Well, 6 billion isn't exactly cheap. Minecraft sold for 1 billion, iirc.

"In 2014, Candy Crush Saga players spent over $1.33 billion on in-app purchases which was a decline from the previous year, since in the second half of 2013 players spent over $1.04 billion."

For a publicly listed company, KING's price-earnings ratio of around 8 is pretty cheap valuation.

The overall market is around 18-20, Apple is 15 and considered very profitable, and cheap on a valuation basis.

For comparison, Netflix has a PE of 300.

Activision's PE is 28.

[Deleted]

You went all out Godwin already in the OP

Is this your mission on the forum? Shitting on everything Blizzard ever does? Are you the sort of guy who calls them "Attention whores" when they have charity events and donate the money?

I actually am generally positive about Blizzard. This move however...

[Ravenblade]

I actually am generally positive about Blizzard. This move however...

Blizzard is the King of idea derivation, of course they are going to acquire King, a company which grew rich based on a derivative idea.

King's only major - if you want to say so - morally wrong thing was to do was to trademark-troll Runsome into submission. This has got much to do with trademark laws which allow practices like that.

[chazus]

I actually am generally positive about Blizzard. This move however...

Blizzard didn't buy this. This isn't 'Blizzard' adding candy crush to Battle.net.

This is Activision Blizzard (the parent company) adding King to its portfolio. This includes things like Sierra, Radical, Infinityward, Treyarch, and like 10 other studios.

[Deleted]

I actually am generally positive about Blizzard. This move however...

Blizzard don't own KING and likely will have nothing to do with sharing IPs.

It'll just be another company in AB's portfolio, no doubt retaining a fair amount of independence like both Activision and Blizzard do.

[Justpassing]

I like it how he godwinned the thread from the start.

[Deleted]

I like it how he godwinned the thread from the start.

If you have a better analogy dont hesitate to post it.

[Raven]

I would buy stolen nazi art because in the end its just a nice piece of art.

But if you bought stolen nazi art your money would by magic go back in time and fund the nazis.

[Gorgodeus]

Well, 6 billion isn't exactly cheap. Minecraft sold for 1 billion, iirc.

6 billion is very cheap, considering projected revenues due to the acquisition for the year are 36 billion.