In what’s surely one of the early signs of the end times, Candy Crush is soon to be a live action game show over on CBS. Yes, the mobile game. A TV show. With contestants. And prizes. And some giant, interactive game boards. And candy, apparently.
CBS isn’t divulging a lot of specifics at this point about how the game will work, or what teams will win – prizes? cash? – after they crush all the candy.
Instead, the network is only saying that teams of two people will compete over the course of an hour, using their wits and physical agility to progress on “enormous, interactive game boards featuring next generation technology.” Whatever that means.
A host has not been yet been announced, either.
However, for Candy Crush maker King, this is a notable licensing deal for their mobile gaming franchise, whose top titles, Candy Crush Saga and the newer Candy Crush Soda Saga, today still see an average of 18 billion game rounds played per month, and are two of the top 10 grossing mobile games in the U.S.
That being said, these games are not quite as popular as they used to be, leading to declining revenues, which is why it makes sense that the now Activision-owned King would be looking for another means of making money from its properties. For example, at the beginning of the year, Candy Crush was ranked in the low 70’s in terms of the top Overall free applications on the Apple App Store. Today, it’s down in 130’s. At the beginning of 2015, it was in the top 30’s, for comparison’s sake.
Meanwhile, sequels like Soda Saga and Jelly Saga, haven’t done as well.
According to CBS’s announcement, Lionsgate and King will work with the network on the new format for the game show, which will be created and exec produced by Matt Kunitz (“Wipeout,” “Fear Factor.”)
CBS Television Distribution will distribute it in the U.S., and Lionsgate will distribute it internationally.
“We are huge fans of Candy Crush and, like so many others, we know the ‘rush’ of advancing to the next level of the game,” said Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with Lionsgate and King to adapt one of the world’s most popular and entertaining game franchises for television and make it available to its massive, passionate fan base who can watch and play along at home.”
Kunitz says that Candy Crush lends itself to the kind of “larger-than-life, physical game shows” that he loves to produce, and says he envisions the game having a lot of action and visuals in the game’s “Candy Crush Arena.”
While I can’t personally imagine anything less interesting than a large-scale version of Candy Crush, there’s always an audience for live action game shows. In any event, it could give you something to watch until that emoji movie comes out.
CBS has not announced the premiere date for the new show.