Sweet, Sweet Victory! Candy Crush® All Stars Tournament Winner Announced - Meet Jay, the 2023 Champion

• Jay, 51, from New York, beat millions of Candy Crush Saga® players worldwide to attend the live final where he was crowned Candy Crush All Star 2023, winning $100,000 USD
• A fiercely competitive Candy Crush® All Stars Tournament final in London saw the top three players each win an exclusive championship Ring, designed by celebrity jeweler Icebox

NEW YORK, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In an epic battle of the thumbs, Candy Crush Saga has crowned its ultimate All Stars champion following a live final in London for the biggest prize in casual mobile gaming.

Jay, 51, was named Candy Crush All Star 2023, taking home $100,000 and a specially crafted bling-tastic championship ring from celebrity jeweler, Icebox, after collecting the most purple All Star Candies in an intense, head-to-head battle to win.

Hailing from New York, Jay beat Cole, from Eugene, Oregon, and Fran, from Madrid, Spain, who finished second and third out of the group of ten finalists spanning three continents - winning $50,000 and $30,000 respectively, alongside runner-up championship rings.

Specially designed for the tournament by renowned Atlanta-based jeweler, Icebox - who have made championship rings for some of the biggest names in sports - the three rings, worth over $75,000 in total, are bedazzled with rare gems inspired by the game's iconic Candies. Dripping in Amethysts, Yellow and Orange Sapphires, Rubies, Blue Topaz and Brown Tourmaline, they are set into a bespoke 14K Gold Candy Drip setting for a color-popping sensation.

Jay, a fibre optics specialist and father of four who's completed more than 9,000 Candy Crush Saga levels, said: "When I heard I won, it was mind-blowing, that's all I can say, it was incredible. It's like I just won the Super Bowl and I got the ring! I thought Cole had me, I really did, he is one cold guy. Meeting the other finalists was amazing, we all have the same thing in common: Candy Crush - it's a universal language."

The free-to-enter Candy Crush All Stars tournament, held to mark the 20th anniversary of the game's developer, King, stretched across two months with quarter and semi-finals held to whittle down the competition to the top 10. To receive an invite to the final, competitors needed to move through the tournament stages by collecting as many purple All Stars Candies as possible.

To celebrate, the finalists, along with a guest of their choice, enjoyed an all expenses paid trip to London and a victory dinner. The once-in-a-lifetime experience also included a week's stay in a candified room at a luxury London hotel, as well as a 'behind the candy curtain' tour of King's London HQ.

At the live final event, the finalists donned Candy Crush varsity jackets and were welcomed onto a purple carpet where they were cheered on before competing with their fellow Candy Crush All Stars finalists. To win, Jay had to survive elimination in three tense rounds - coming from behind in the semi-final to nab the last qualifying spot - before the final head-to-head.

Todd Green, General Manager of the Candy Crush Franchise at King said: "The sheer quality of play across the tournament stages and especially the live final was just incredible, and we were delighted to crown Jay as our deserving winner and ultimate Candy Crush All Stars champion.

"For many players, Candy Crush Saga represents a colorful and enjoyable way to pass the time, but we have a huge amount of loyal fans who love to invest the time and dedication into becoming a true All Star."

Candy Crush Saga is available to download and play for free on iOS and Android. To learn more about the mobile game, visit: www.candycrushsaga.com

About King

With a mission of Making the World Playful, King is a leading interactive entertainment company and the creator of the world-famous Candy Crush franchise, as well as other mobile game hits including Farm Heroes Saga. Candy Crush is the top-grossing franchise in U.S. app stores, a position it has held for the last five years, and King's games are being played by 243 million monthly active users as of Q1 2023. King, a part of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), has game studios in Stockholm, Malmö, London, Barcelona and Berlin and offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Malta. More information can be found at King.com or by following us on LinkedIn, @lifeatking on Instagram, or @king_games on Twitter.

© 2023 King.com Ltd. King, the King crown logo, Candy Crush, the Tiffi character, Candy Crush Saga and related marks are trademarks of King.com Ltd and/or related entities.

All Stars competition T&Cs can be found here: https://candycrush-saga.web.app/pages/all_stars_terms

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SOURCE King