Chances are you’ve definitely heard of Candy Crush, and probably have played it yourself!
The game has had over 2.7 billion downloads since its launch in 2012, as well as a recent spike in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic. When people have to stay inside, there’s a good chance that they’ll turn to phone games to stay entertained, and there’s very few games as entertaining as Candy Crush Saga. The Knockturnal spoke with the games associate producer Miriam Kasteleiner on growth, new features, and how the game is helping millions. Here’s our exclusive interview:
The Knockturnal: Tell us about Candy Crush’s recent growth?
MiriamKasteleiner: Many players have turned to gaming as a form of escape or distraction from the stressors of everyday life during this challenging and uncertain time. Over the last few months, we’ve seen our players become more engaged with our games and have been inundated with messages from players, thanking us for helping them during these tough times.
The Knockturnal: What new features have you added to keep users engaged?
MiriamKasteleiner: Our fans play Candy Crush to relax and unwind, but when stay-at-home orders got put into place, we knew our community needed us more than ever. We therefore released the free, unlimited lives in early April for one week globally, partnering with the World Health Organization on their #PlayApartTogether campaign which encouraged physical distancing. Because the feedback was incredibly positive from our players, we released unlimited lives again globally across most of our games at the beginning of May.
Our community is at the heart of everything we do, and we recently spotlighted 20 of Candy Crush’s most dedicated fans by featuring a new bespoke level inspired by each of them and their favorite game elements.
Our teams are working really hard to deliver exciting new content to our players. We have daily in-game events running in Candy Crush so players can take on new challenges for a chance to win in-game rewards.
The Knockturnal: What kinds of messages have you received from fans of the game in these uncertain times?
MiriamKasteleiner: Our global fan base are very vocal about things they love. For the unlimited lives initiative, we received numerous messages from our players thanking us for introducing it.
So many players shared incredible stories of how Candy Crush Saga has helped to relieve a bit of stress during the pandemic crisis and entertain them while strict stay-at-home measures were in place.
Messages we received:
“I love Candy Crush. I have been Crushing since the game came out! Keeps me in a good mood, sane, and calm when I am dealing with anxiety or any type of distress especially with Covid-19 going around. Love you Candy Crush!”
“Thank you so much!! Playing Candy Crush is one of the things that is keeping me sane these days. It’s my escape.”
It is so humbling to know that our games can help players through this time. We are always listening to our fans and finding ways to reward and celebrate them. This will certainly continue during and after the pandemic.
The Knockturnal: What’s the secret to the game’s success?
MiriamKasteleiner: Candy Crush has always provided light relief and fun to players, creating a few minutes of entertainment and escapism. Our teams work hard to constantly innovate within the game to keep it fresh and exciting for our players.
We are in such an unprecedented time right now, and most of us are staying at home. Anxiety and stress are high, and people are dealing with incredible pressures, so the benefits of play coupled with the joy games like Candy Crush can bring are something people are turning to at the moment. We ensure that it is an experience that everyone can continue to enjoy by adding new content, in-game events, and new features.
The Knockturnal: What else are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?
MiriamKasteleiner: As always, we want to be here for our community and provide some entertainment and light breaks for their daily routines, so we’re looking forward to releasing new features and programs that celebrate our community this year.
You can download Candy Crush and play for yourself here!