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.

A brief history of Microsoft's bundled OS games

















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.

Still, one can't complain too much for the inclusion of Candy Crush Saga, given Windows 10 itself will be a free upgrade. And, once you've figured out which of the seven SKUs you need, you'll be able to use the OS for more serious gaming matters like checking out all those gorgeous Direct X 12 games, and remote play streaming from an Xbox One.