Humanity weeps as Candy Crush Saga comes preinstalled with Windows 10

[steve2470]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/humanity-weeps-as-candy-crush-saga-comes-pre-installed-with-windows-10/



In what is no doubt a sign that humanity as we know it is coming to a swift, unproductive end, Microsoft has announced that King's notoriously moreish Candy Crush Saga will come pre-installed with Windows 10. That's right, pre-installed. In what appears to be an entirely non-ironic post over at Xbox Wire, Microsoft says that "as an added bonus, Candy Crush Saga will automatically be installed for customers that upgrade to or download Windows 10 for periods of time following the game launch."

There's no word on whether you'll be able to opt out of the automatic install, although it's likely King will want to get as many people as possible hooked on Candy Crush given its recent financial struggles. Earlier today, the company's shares fell as much as 14 percent in after-hours trading after it issued a profit warning. It noted in its first quarter financials that revenue was lower than expected due to slowing Candy Crush sales, and players moving to "more mature games."

The Windows 10 version of Candy Crush Saga was first demonstrated at Microsoft's Build conference earlier this month, and served as something of a showcase for Microsoft's Project Islandwood and Project Astoria initiatives. Islandwood allows iOS developers to bring their apps over to Windows via an Objective C toolchain and middleware layer. While some recompiling is still required, it should make the process of porting apps easier for a large number of iOS developers. Things are easier still for Android developers, with Windows Mobile including an Android runtime layer that'll let most existing apps run unmodified. Notably, the new Windows 10 version of Candy Crush Saga will include cross-play options for iOS and Android devices.

Regardless of how you feel about King or its games, Candy Crush Saga certainly isn't the first bundled Windows game to threaten productivity. Microsoft's Solitaire, which has been a staple of the Windows OS since version 3.0, was once claimed to be "the most used Windows application in the world," not to the mention one of the original candidates for video game addiction. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg even fired an employee after catching him playing solitaire on the job.

[Hiraeth]

1. LOL ... should've been Pet Rescue Saga ... lol

[ProdigalJunkMail]

2. no worse than installing the other games

that taught how to use the mouse... but i guess MOST people by now should have that bit figured.

sP

[hermetic]

3. I'd forgotten about that trick

I used it all the time teaching my co-workers how to use those newfangled machines we were forced to use.

Steve, do know if 10 will still have Solitaire? If I can't have my Free Cell and Spider Solitaire, I don't want it.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. yeah, but it will have to be recoded

for portability to IOS and Android...

sP

[steve2470]

5. yep! nt

[Sentath]

7. It is back!

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/23/8477521/windows-10-solitaire-returns

Rumor says it has bouncing cards too.

[-none]

8. You should be able to transfer any MS games for XP to 10

I moved Solitaire from XP to Win7, as the Win7 version of Solitaire sucks big time.

[hobbit709]

9. Try moving it to 8.

[-none]

10. I've never had anything to so with 8

I keep hearing too many bad things about it.

[Denzil_DC]

12. Pipe Mania!

Certainly got the adrenalin going.

[hobbit709]

6. Just what I always wanted installed on an OS.

[jrandom421]

11. No big deal

Can't be any worse than Minesweeper or Space Cadet Pinball