King To Float On US Stock Market

King have been hitting the headlines a lot recently. It started with their trademark applications so crazy they sparked an internet backlash. Then came an attempt to sue Stoic for using the word "Saga". Their most recent act to hit the headlines has been the tactics used against an indie developer who opposed their trademark filing.

Today we may have discovered the reason for their recent aggression, which they say has been done to "protect our own games".

King have filed to float on the New York Stock Exchange.

They have not yet revealed the number of shares they will offer, or their price range. However, the filing in the US reveals its "proposed maximum aggregate offering price",  which is the amount it is hoping to raise from the initial public offering, is a whopping $500m or £300m.

The backbone of King's success is Candy Crush Saga, a game it has recently gone to extreme measures to protect. It has been reported that up to 78% of the companies revenue comes from this one title. Candy Crush Saga was the top downloaded free mobile app of 2013 and has been downloaded more than 500 million times since its launch in 2012. The game's popularity has helped King reach insanely high revenues of more than $600m in the final quarter of 2013, and profits of about $160m in the same period.

Analysts have valued the firm at more than $5bn.