'Candy Crush' to be Released in China by Tencent

Apr 16, 2014 12:51 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings has confirmed it will launch a Chinese version of King Digital Entertainment Plc's popular "Candy Crush Saga" game in China.

The UK-based mobile games company is looking to draw in more users to make up for declining sales in places like Europe and the United States since the new year.

The game will be introduced through Tencent's Mobile QQ and Weixin platforms.

Weixin, also known as WeChat, had 225 million users as of this past January, according to a report by iResearch.

"Tencent has the largest mobile social network in China," King Digital Chief Executive Riccardo Zacconi said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Zacconi added that he hopes the tie-up will make Candy Crush "as popular in China" as it is in the rest of the world.

Candy Crush brought in over $493 million in the last three months of 2013 alone. The game was easily one of the most downloaded apps last year, topping sales charts around the world, though it has suffered a fall from grace since January.

Shares in King Digital fell dropped close to 16 percent when they debuted last month.

The tie-up will also help Tencent entice users to a number of its online and mobile offerings. Tencent is regarded as the biggest listed Internet company in China, though it is in the middle of a "fierce" battle with IPO-bound rival Alibaba Group Holding, according to Reuters.

The collaboration "will combine King's enjoyable mobile gaming experience and Tencent's strong game publishing and operation capabilities in China," Tencent Senior Vice President Steven Ma said in the statement, according to Reuters.

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