《糖果粉碎傳奇》開發商計劃赴美上市
The UK-based company behind the Candy Crush Saga mobile gaming phenomenon is seeking to float in New York with an equity valuation of around $5bn.
創造出《糖果粉碎傳奇》(Candy Crush Saga)的英國手機遊戲開發商正尋求在紐約上市，實現大約50億美元的估值。King Digital Entertainment hopes to raise up to $500m, according to filings yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission – about the same amount it has paid out in dividends to investors and directors over the past five months. The company filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, which will happen in March or April, according to one person familiar with the matter.
King Digital Entertainment公司在昨日向美國證交會(SEC)提交的文件中表示，它希望籌集至多5億美元資金，大約與其在過去5個月向投資者和董事們支付的股息相同。知情人士稱，King公司申請在紐約證券交易所(New York Stock Exchange)上市，時間將是今年3月或者4月。Apax Partners, the private equity and venture capital group, is King’s biggest shareholder with 48.2 per cent of the equity. Index Ventures has an 8.3 per cent stake. The executive team holds about a third of the company. “We believe Candy Crush Saga, our top title to date, is one of the largest interactive entertainment franchises of all time,” said King. The company’s other titles include Pet Rescue Saga, Farm Heroes Saga and Papa Pear Saga.
私人股本和風險資本集團Apax Partners是King公司最大的股東，持有48.2%的股權。Index Ventures持有8.3%的股權。該公司管理層持有約三分之一的股權。King公司表示：“《糖果粉碎傳奇》是我們迄今最成功的遊戲，我們相信它也是有史以來最大的互動娛樂遊戲品牌之一。”該公司的其他作品包括《寵物大營救》(Pet Rescue Saga)、《農場英雄傳奇》(Farm Heroes Saga)和《帕帕彈珠傳奇》(Papa Pear Saga)。
The challenge for King and its peers, which include Finnish developers Rovio and Supercell and London-based Mind Candy, is how to take the success of a single title and turn it into a sustainable business.
King公司以及其他遊戲開發商的挑戰在於，如何利用一款遊戲的成功，將其轉變爲可持續的業務。其他遊戲開發商包括芬蘭的Rovio和Supercell以及英國的Mind Candy。“With games that penetrate the mass market, it’s a case of trying to bottle lightning,” said gaming expert Ed Barton of Strategy Analytics.
Strategy Analytics的遊戲專家埃德•巴頓(Ed Barton)表示：“隨着遊戲滲透入大衆市場，這堪比登天。”Candy Crush is deceptively simple, inviting players to form rows of three jellied sweets. It accounts for more than 75 per cent of King’s total gross revenues, although the company said it expected Candy Crush to represent a smaller percentage in the future as it looks to diversify its game portfolio.
《糖果粉碎傳奇》看似簡單，邀請玩家將三種相同的果凍糖果排成一線。該款遊戲爲King公司貢獻了逾75%的營收，儘管該公司表示，隨着它尋求將遊戲組合多元化，預計《糖果粉碎傳奇》未來所佔的百分比將會下降。The game started life on Facebook but has become available via smartphones. It ranks as the second highest-grossing smartphone app, according to the website App Annie, after Supercell’s Clash of Clans.
《糖果粉碎傳奇》最初在Facebook上發佈，但現在可以通過智能手機下載。App Annie網站的數據顯示，《糖果粉碎傳奇》是第二暢銷的智能手機應用，僅次於Supercell的《部落戰爭》(Clash of Clans)。King has seen huge growth. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation grew from $4m in 2011 to $825m in 2013, according to documents filed with the SEC.
King公司近年實現了巨大的增長。其提交給美國證交會的文件顯示，該公司調整後的稅息折舊及攤銷前利潤(EBITDA)從2011年的400萬美元增長至2013年的8.25億美元。
