King has launched its latest match-three game Candy Crush Friends Saga globally following just over a year in soft-launch.

The latest entry in the hugely popular Candy Crush franchise had been in soft launch since May 2017.

Alongside 3D graphics and new special moves, new game modes include ‘dunk the cookie in the chocolate’ and ‘free the octopuses and the mammoths’.

To celebrate the release, King is holding an event in New York later today which uses 3D projection mapping to echo the games move to 3D visuals.

Sweet business

“We are very excited to officially launch Candy Crush Friends Saga, our sweetest game yet,” said King co-founder Sebastian Knutsson.

“We’re still so surprised and humbled by the success of the Candy Crush franchise. With each iteration, our teams work hard to innovate so that we can offer players a fresh new gaming experience.

“With Candy Crush Friends Saga, we wanted to immerse players in the game like never before, and we feel that bringing the characters and their world to life in 3D will do just that.”

The release follows upon a report from Sensor Tower that Candy Crush Saga had hit $3.91 billion in lifetime revenues since launching in 2012. King, no doubt, will be hoping for lucrative returns on the Friends Saga too.