Candy Crush Saga producer King relocates Bucharest office as it readies Romanian team expansion

Mobile games producer King has leased 1,700 sqm in the Opera Center office building in Bucharest, to expand its creative studio. The lease was brokered by Colliers International, which announced the move. The game producer will thus relocate from its initial office at Unirii Factory, where it occupied two floors. Opened in 2011, King's Bucharest office will have 110 staff by the end of 2014, all of which will be located in the Opera Center headquarters, according to Colliers. King officials previously said the company was planning to add 50 people to its Bucharest team, and reach 120 by year-end. This will most likely place Bucharest among King’s biggest offices in the world. King's Bucharest staff develops and tests some of the most popular and best selling online games, such as Bubble Witch Saga or the no. 1 game for Facebook and mobile, Candy Crush Saga. "Game industry professionals are young, energetic, ultra-creative and in need of a representative, connected and flexible office. They work in one of the most dynamic IT sectors, thus employers are eager to find high-quality buildings and ingenious furnishing ideas in order to offer young talents a strong and attractive internal culture" explains Andreea Păun, Associate Director within the Office Agency team of Colliers International, the consultant who conducted the leasing process. "Among the things that employees have always appreciated at King includes the working environment and the relaxing atmosphere," says Mihai Sfrijan, Head of Studio King București. According to the Generation Y studies published by Colliers International, the traditional office gradually transforms into a complex space which provides employees with increased productivity, creativity, collaboration, transparency and a fun, yet motivating work environment. More than 90 percent of today’s young job candidates request mobility and flexibility at the office, according to Colliers' statement. The Opera Center office compound is owned by Austrian investment fund CA Immo, and hosts tenants such as NN Lease, Glaxo Smith Kline, Borza & Asociații, PayU, Stoica & Asociații or DHL Logistics. King was set up in 2003 in Sweden and is headquartered in London. The company became famous in 2012 for its game Candy Crush Saga, which was first launched as a Facebook game. Later on it was launched for Android and iOS devices. The company opened its office in Romania in 2011, with four employees, and exceeded 30 in 2012. Worldwide the company has 600 employees, with Stockholm, London and Barcelona being its biggest offices. King also has offices in Hamburg, Malmö, Malta, and San Francisco. The company says it is a worldwide leader in casual games with more than 30 billion games played per month globally. Earlier in February, the company filed a request for an initial public offering in the US, which would result in trading its shares on the stock exchange. editor@romania-insider.com