adminCandy Crush Saga has grown from a mobile puzzle launched in 2012 into a long-running live game with a large, varied audience. Keeping it engaging means more than adding levels: King must balance familiar gameplay with new features, respond to player feedback and manage a steadily expanding volume of content.
How Candy Crush Saga stays relevant
At the GDC Festival of Gaming, King head of live operations Eva Ryott discussed how player habits are changing and what that means for the game. She said players have less time for games and increasingly divide their attention among other activities on mobile devices. For King, that makes it important to make the game easy to return to and relevant to each player.
The game’s scale adds to the challenge. Ryott said it had more than 21,000 levels, alongside events and other features. Rather than show every option at once, the experience is organized around a player’s current progress. This helps keep the interface focused: players can concentrate on the level they are playing instead of navigating the entire catalogue.
Practical takeaway: In a game with years of content, clear progression and a manageable number of visible choices can help players know what to do next.
How AI and automation support level design
King uses AI and automation in its level and content pipeline to help manage the workload. Ryott explained that these tools can flag levels that may be unusually difficult, too easy or likely to break, and can support adjustments before content goes live.
The aim, she said, is not to replace level designers. Automating repetitive checks gives the team more time for creative work and helps content reach players sooner. The approach is especially useful when a game has thousands of levels that need ongoing review.
Ryott also noted that King increased its weekly level releases from 45 to 60 after players were waiting for more content. Automation has helped the team handle that higher output. For players, new levels are most useful when they are tested carefully and fit the established rhythm of the game.
Why player feedback can matter more than data alone
King has traditionally relied heavily on quantitative data, but Ryott said the company has expanded its research to better understand player needs. That work includes interviews, focus groups and other forms of player research, as well as monitoring community discussions.
An updated Fish Booster illustrated why those sources can complement analytics. After the feature launched, players discussed problems with the fish targeting objectives they did not expect. Community posts on Reddit surfaced the reaction quickly, helping King see that a change intended as an improvement had not matched player expectations.
Ryott cautioned that online forums tend to reflect the views of the most vocal players, rather than the whole audience. They can still provide fast, specific feedback, but should be considered alongside broader research and gameplay data.
Practical takeaway: When assessing a new feature, combine usage metrics with direct player research and community feedback. Each can reveal a different part of the experience.
Keeping the core familiar while adding new ideas
Long-time players expect the game’s short, accessible matching puzzles to remain central. King’s challenge is to preserve that familiar experience while using events and features to introduce variety. Ryott described this as a balance: the core gameplay is what brings people back, while additions create opportunities to refresh the experience.
That balance matters when players have built up years of knowledge and habits. Even a feature designed to improve the game can feel disruptive if it changes a mechanic players rely on. Testing and listening before and after release can help teams spot those issues and adjust accordingly.
Image credit: Microsoft
Lessons from working across Xbox
Ryott said King is sharing knowledge with other teams across the wider Xbox organization. She pointed to Mojang’s approach of spending more time polishing content before release, contrasting it with King’s experience of releasing updates and then iterating. She also said King can contribute expertise in mobile games and live services.
For a long-running title, maintaining trust is as important as producing more content. King’s approach, as described by Ryott, combines technology, player research and careful attention to the game’s established identity. Candy Crush Saga can continue to evolve when new ideas support the familiar puzzle experience and reflect what players actually need.
Eva Ryott | Image credit: Microsoft
