Activision Blizzard noted today when reporting its earnings for the third quarter that the Candy Crush series remains the top-grossing franchise in the U.S. mobile app stores.
The company attributes the success to the October 31, 2018 launch of Candy Crush Friends Saga. The addition of the new entry in the free-to-play puzzle series gave the franchise a boost over the last year, helping it grow year-over-year.
The original Candy Crush Saga launched in 2012 and remains a mobile smash hit. Activision Blizzard bought Candy Crush developer King in 2016 for $5.9 billion.
Candy Crush Saga has three sequels: Soda Saga, Jelly Saga, and Friends Saga. Together, the franchise had 247 million MAUs (monthly active users) in Activsion Blizzard’ third quarter.
Along with Candy Crush, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft Classic helped Activision Blizzard beat its outlook for the quarter.