As mobile gaming takes the world by storm, from simple word game puzzles to first-person shooters now being a mainstream form of entertainment on tablets and smartphones, King, makers of the ultra-successful Candy Crush, have entered the MMO scene and bought CCP Games. CCP Games is most well known for the cutthroat MMO that is Eve Online, where piracy is encouraged, corporate espionage is the norm, and spreadsheets rule the stars.
King, in a press release this morning, has assured all spreadsheet aficionados of Eve Online that there is no threat of candy-shaped enemies appearing in New Eden any time soon. King was hesitant to answer questions on future monetization of Eve Online and only assured the press that any microtransactions they introduce would be completely unobtrusive to the vast majority of players and not necessarily affect any space shenanigans the players get up to.
Players have already voiced their doubts on social media but King has assayed their fears with vague comments about kitty-shaped appendages appearing in the near future of Eve Online. King has engaged in the past with Sanrio, the makers of Hello Kitty, for collaborative ventures so we may see Hello Kitty piloted capital ships in the near future of Eve Online. Fluffy cat ears have been high up on the player desire list for the spaceships.
Pearl Abyss, the prior owners of CCP Games sold the developer to King for a reported $500m, netting Pearl Abyss a handsome profit having only just recently acquired the developers themselves.
CCP Games CEO, Hilmar Pétursson, declined to comment outside the studio in Reykjavík. It was reported by insiders that he struggled down the main staircase later that evening with three suitcases all bulging at the seams with unknown contents. A single visible $100 note protruding from an improperly zipped corner was seen on one of the suitcases but this could not be confirmed at the time of publication.
