Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard buys Candy Crush maker King Digital for $5.9 billion

The deal is worth $5.9 billion, or $18 in cash per share

King Digital Entertainment, the maker of Candy Crush, has been bought by Activision Blizzard, the US computer game company behind World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.

The deal is worth $5.9 billion, or $18 in cash per share.

Activision Blizzard said in a release celebrating the announcement that the deal makes it the global leader in mobile gaming.

After the deal is completed, the combined companies will own some of the world's most popular games franchises. In mobile gaming, it will own Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Soda Saga, two of the top give highest-grossing mobile games in the US. They join Call of Duty, the world’s most successful console game franchise, on the eve of a new edition, Black Ops III, and World of Warcraft, the world’s most successful personal computing franchise.

King Digital, which is based in Ireland, will continue to operate independently, according to reports.