Here at Android Police, we monitor a truly insane amount of sites and developers to bring you the latest apps and games fresh from the Play Store. And in serving that duty, sometimes we come across games that don't deserve any attention. More often than not, in fact, and some of the most depressing are games that exploit a beloved TV, movie, or video game license and use it to try and sling the same homogenized crap as ten thousand copycat game developers looking for a quick buck. A lot of these seem to be Candy Crush or Bejeweled clones: we passed over Pac-Man Puzzle Tour just yesterday (Artem literally wrote "ughhhhhh" in the office chat), and Star Trek: Wrath of Gems is such a shameless cash-grab that it makes trekkies spit out their Romulan ale.
Read MoreActivision Blizzard Will Buy Candy Crush Saga Developer King For 5.9 Billion (With A 'B') Dollars
You might know Activision Blizzard as the mega-publisher behind huge franchises like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. And you might know King as the mobile publisher behind Candy Crush Saga, the Bejeweled clone that's inexplicably become one of the most popular casual games on the planet. In a few months the two companies will be one and the same: Activision Blizzard has announced its intention to acquire King for a staggering $5.9 billion.
For comparison, that's approximately six times what Facebook famously paid to acquire mobile photo sharing app Instagram. Activision currently has practically zero presence on the mobile game front with the notable exception of free-to-play collectible card game Hearthstone, while King's various games across Android, iOS, Windows, and web platforms have amassed hundreds of millions of downloads and billions of dollars in revenue from in-app purchases.
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The Developers Of The Banner Saga And CandySwipe Have Resolved Their Disputes With Candy Crush Developer King
One of the more inflammatory stories in the world of gaming over the last few months has been the rise of casual game publisher King and its emphatic defense of its "Candy Crush Saga" intellectual property. After applying for trademarks on the terms "Candy" and "Saga" for video game and clothing applications, King opposed the trademark application of the PC Viking-themed RPG The Banner Saga.
Both of these games include "Saga" in the title. You can decide which one is more appropriate.
King's own application to trademark "Candy Crush Saga" was likewise opposed by indie developer Runsome Apps, whose CandySwipe game from 2010 bears a striking resemblance to Candy Crush Saga.
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Candy Crush Game Developer King Files For IPO Of Up To $500 Million
King has been making headlines lately thanks to trademark claims that are, frankly, insane. But it looks like the creators of Candy Crush Saga are doing something right: the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is filing for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, preparing to sell as much as $500 million in initial stock.
King's collection of simple Facebook, iOS, and Android games are almost entirely driven by the free-to-play model, with headliner Candy Crush Saga being downloaded more than 100 million times on Android alone. The company has also become a lightning rod for controversy ever since it won extremely broad trademark claims on the term "Candy" (applied to video games and clothing) in January.
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[Bonus Round] Farm Heroes Saga, Division Cell, And The Sheepening
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got an official Candy Crush clone, a shapely puzzle game, and a game that lets you hone your sheep abduction skills. Without further ado:
Farm Heroes Saga
This here puzzle game would be notable even if it was only a Tetris knockoff, thanks to developer King of Candy Crush fame.
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