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‘Candy Crush’ Gets Its Own Game Show: Addictive Smartphone Game To Be Adapted Into Live-Action Game Show On CBS

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 09:03 PST, Oct 18, 2016

After the success of the Angry Birds movie, Candy Crush, an equally popular, fun, and addictive smartphone game, is about to get its very own live-action game on CBS.

The televised Candy Crush live-action game is the joint project of Candy Crush game developer King, Wipeout creator Matt Kunitz, and Lionsgate. The entertainment company has been quietly developing the show for almost two years.

CBS has extended a straight-to-series order for a live-action game show based on popular mobile game Candy Crush, reported the Hollywood Reporter. The new format for the addictive game is being created and produced by Kunitz, who, besides ABC’s Wipeout, is also known for creating other popular reality TV programs, including NBC’s Fear Factor. The game shows offer countless hours of entertainment derived from watching contestants struggle against large-scale obstacles.

Speaking about the developments, CBS President Glenn Geller said in a statement, “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. 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.”

The Candy Crush TV series is expected to have a lot of elements borrowed from Wipeout and Fear Factor. The live-action games will have two teams competing against each other.

Similar to the actual game that millions play on their smartphones every day, the live-action game will have the competing teams try and match sweet treats in combinations of three or more to win points. Moreover, just like the original game, players in this one can go up to 2,000 levels, reported Us Weekly.

As expected in such games, the teams will have to use their intelligence as well as their physical agility to compete on enormous interactive game boards. According to CBS, the boards will feature next-generation technology that will offer immersive gameplay not just to the competitors but also the audience watching at home.

Speaking about the format, Kunitz said, “The Candy Crush franchise lends itself perfectly to the kind of larger-than-life, physical game shows that I love to produce and CBS is the perfect home for it. As a Candy Crush Saga player myself, I am excited to amp up the action and visuals in our huge Candy Crush Arena.”

The network hasn’t confirmed who will host the game show. In fact, the company hasn’t released any photos or revealed air dates for the series. However, since the development of the concept is already underway, the game show is expected to get broadcast dates soon. And given the immense popularity of the Candy Crush game, the series might even get a primetime slot.

Candy Crush was launched in 2012 and quickly became a pop culture sensation. More than 1 trillion games have been played, claims the maker, who added that last month saw 18 billion game rounds played around the world. Candy Crush and its sequel, Candy Crush Saga, are two of the top 10 grossing mobile games in the U.S. Both the games are offered under the freemium category, which allows games to be downloaded and played for free but also include many in-game purchases. Its popularity took a hit after Pokemon GO grabbed the attention of the world, reported SurveyMonkey.

The decision to make Candy Crush a live-action game seems to have been made after CBS experienced success with retro game shows like Match Game and Celebrity Family Feud.

Interestingly, besides Angry Birds, another popular game, Fruit Ninja, is also slated for a big-screen movie release.

[Featured Image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

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