Whatever King is doing during these Candy Crush Saga All Stars tournaments, it seems to be working. Appmagic data says it just had its second-best month of revenue ever.
The game’s all-time IAP revenue peak was back in October 2021, also during an All Stars tournament, when Appmagic estimated monthly revenue of $108.29m. In April 2025 King very nearly beat that record with $108.25m in IAP earned.
As ever, Appmagic’s estimates do not include Apple and Google’s 30% store fees or ad revenue. We asked King whether the IAP figures were accurate, but it said it does not comment on third party revenue estimates.
Clearly, putting an estimated 15m players into the competitive ‘All Stars’ tournament means far greater player spend. But King marketed the event a little differently this year, too.
It advertised the event on TV for the first time since 2021, and also ran ads in cinemas. It debuted activations in Microsoft stores while also adding more audio into its spend, running promos across ‘Spotify 3D audio’, podcasts, and national radio.
As a result, Luken Aragon, King’s VP of Marketing for Candy Crush Saga, estimates that King’s All Stars campaign will reach 79% of adults in the US and generate more than 2.3bn impressions across North America by the time it wraps up.
So here we asked him a few questions about the tournament. His answers are below, edited for clarity and readability.
What kind of uplift have you seen in terms of monetisation and downloads since the tournament began? Can you put a number on the added revenue/downloads you expect from this activity overall?
The tournament continues to be a major engagement driver…more than 11m million players joined the first Candy Crush All Stars qualifier.
While we can’t share exact revenue figures, we’ve seen a significant rise in downloads since the tournament began, with approximately 14% rise in installs in the US and approximately 7% globally.
We can also share that we have seen around a 10% rise in reactivations in the US, which is great news, given this was our target market for the campaign.
What proportion of players engage in this tournament, out of the total player base?
Over 15m players took part, collectively passing 1.2bn levels, making 23.1bn moves, and completing 2.5bn game rounds. With over 200m monthly active players in our games, it is clear that these events inspire massive engagement at scale.
While we do not break down participation as a proportion of our total player base, the sheer volume of in-game activity shows just how motivating this kind of tournament can be.
How much player education do you have to do for these types of events? Is competitive play alien to most Candy players?
Actually, competitive play isn’t new or unfamiliar to our players at all. Candy Crush All Stars was created in response to what our community was asking for – more chances to compete and connect.
While the core Candy Crush Saga experience is still casual, we’ve seen that many long-term players are eager to dive into the competitive side.
For newer players, Candy Crush All Stars is a fun and welcoming way to get involved in that side of the game and feel part of something bigger.
We do a lot of communication in the game and across our channels to make sure everyone knows how to take part and what they need to do to win. We also keep things fresh by introducing new layers each year.
Can you put a ballpark figure on the total marketing spend you have earmarked for this campaign?
We don’t share exact figures, but this is absolutely one of the biggest and boldest campaigns we’ve ever run for Candy Crush All Stars. The investment reflects that, with new TV creative, big audio partnerships, in-store experiences, and a huge presence across social, digital, and creator content.
Is this tournament mostly about re-activating lapsed players and monetising existing ones? It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t already downloaded CCS at this point…
It’s a big moment to do both. Candy Crush Saga is now 13 years old, and events like this help keep it feeling fresh and relevant. For new players, the tournament is a fun way to jump in and feel like part of something big from the start. It’s easy to get involved and adds a whole new layer of excitement to the game.
We’ve also seen some really encouraging reactivation numbers this year, with around a 10.5% increase in the US.
