That sense of escapism and connectivity during these trying times is undoubtedly crucial, as mental health issues similarly have skyrocketed.

Games offer so many benefits that have been underlined substantially throughout the pandemic. The entrance to King headquarters in Soho, London. Additionally, as a result, King has opened 'nearly 100 roles' as it looks to attract top talent across its tech, level design and art teams. Of which, the public has reacted very strongly, with engagement and downloads both surging over the first half of 2020 - something that is expected to be sustained well into the New Year. Our teams have been our top priority throughout, and we had to make sure everyone had everything they needed at home, and make sure we could continue delivering fun to our players.' 'At King, all of our offices globally moved to work from home before national lockdowns began. 'Things changed very quickly in March and have continued to change,' King president Humam Sakhnini tells, who now heads the company after Zacconni's departure. There are naturally other factors to consider behind the scenes but even those at the top are well aware of the consequences of COVID. It's hard to not put this down to the ongoing pandemic, which has seen countless delays to timelines set out at the start of the year disrupted. In fact, it's also been the first year that the company has yet to launch a new game since it started making games (debuting with Bubble Witch Saga in 2011), heavily relying on its Candy Crush, Farm Heroes, and Pet Rescue series. In August, chairman and long-time CEO Riccardo Zacconi decided to call it quits and leave the company after 17 memorable years.

Every company far and wide has faced these challenges.įor one of the biggest players, King Digital Entertainment, it has also been a year of transition. There have been unprecedented shifts in the games industry with ripple effects that will undoubtedly be felt for decades to come.

If there's one thing that we can all agree on - after living through the torrid time that is 2020 - is that things will never be the same as they once were.

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