Which company acquired King in 2016?

Activision Blizzard acquired King in 2016.

King was the Swedish-founded social-game company behind Candy Crush Saga. Activision Blizzard announced the planned acquisition in November 2015, offering $18 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.9 billion. The deal closed on February 23, 2016, bringing King into Activision Blizzard as a distinct operating business.

The acquisition gave Activision Blizzard a major position in mobile and free-to-play gaming. Before the deal, Activision Blizzard was best known for console and PC franchises such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, and Diablo, while King's biggest success reached a huge audience through Facebook and smartphones. Candy Crush provided an immediate bridge into that mobile audience.

A common mix-up is Microsoft: Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in 2023, several years after Activision Blizzard had acquired King. Thus, for a question specifically asking who acquired King in 2016, Activision Blizzard is the single canonical answer. King continued operating as its own business after the 2016 transaction.