Social-gaming publisher King is planning to close down some if its games in an effort to shift resources to upcoming releases.
King, which is best known for match-3 puzzler Candy Crush Saga, has a number of other games that it runs on Facebook, mobile, and its King.com web portal. With the mammoth success of Candy Crush Saga, the company is planning to phase out older titles like Hoop de Loop Saga, Bubble Saga, Miner Speed, and Puzzle Saga from Facebook (as first reported by Gamasutra). On Sept. 10, the publisher will pull those titles from the social network, but each game will remain accessible on King.com.
“As for why, it’s a resource decision,” a King spokesperson told GamesBeat. “The games need to be maintained in order to continue to offer a strong player experience. Where we prioritize our time and efforts is a key decision, and we believe that we should focus on developing new titles and maintaining a gameplay experience for our key titles such as Candy Crush Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, and Farm Heroes Saga. All of these games are in the top 10 game apps on the platform. Papa Pear Saga and Bubble Witch Saga reside in the top 15 games on Facebook.”
A couple of the games King is shuttering still have over 200,000 daily active players, but the developer obviously thinks it’s better off cutting those games loose in favor of doubling down on more successful titles and new releases.
These cancellations don’t reflect a wider strategic shift at King. The publisher expects to release additional games, primarily in the Saga franchise, on Facebook. King also plans to expand its roster of developers. The company currently employs around 550 people, but it wants to grow to around 750 by the end of 2013.