How a Candy Crush video series triggered an "incredibly valuable" feedback loop

• Candy Crush Saga’s general manager Paula Ingvar reflects on the Crush & Tell video series.
• It turned out to be "much more than a marketing exercise".

Candy Crush creator King delivered a six-part campaign called Crush & Tell between October 2025 and January 2026, highlighting various development aspects and design insights behind the popular match-3 game.

This vodcast-style series gave a peek behind the curtain at the making of Candy Crush Saga. Alongside King’s series, PocketGamer.biz interviewed each speaker to go further in-depth with artists, software engineers, level designers and more. Topics ranged from "Fish 3.0" to the deceptively complex world of boosters.

Now, we speak with Candy Crush Saga’s general manager Paula Ingvar to reflect on Crush & Tell’s production, player feedback and going beyond a marketing campaign.

"We wanted topics that genuinely matter to players, not just what we felt was interesting internally - but I’m glad to say we found overlaps," Ingvar shares.

"We were looking at longstanding fan questions, features people feel strongly about, and areas where we felt a bit more transparency could build greater connection with fans.

"The final topics were a balance between player curiosity, the game’s evolution and what we could meaningfully unpack in this format."

Inside the Candy wrapper

Crush & Tell was designed as a means of giving players a closer look at the creativity and thinking that goes into Candy Crush Saga. As the game approaches its 14th anniversary, it has also surpassed 20,000 levels and amassed a global community of fans - whom King wanted to introduce to the team behind it all.

The series spawned from a simple question: How do we talk to our players in a more human, accessible way?

Ingvar explains that, from there, it became about finding the right format, the right voices and the right topics. In the final product, episodes had a runtime of up to 10 minutes and were each hosted by tech reviewer and YouTuber Trisha Hershberger. She spoke with a different member of the Candy Crush team in every episode, bringing their perspective from working across various departments.

"One of the biggest highlights has been opening up the ‘why’ behind Candy Crush. We talk a lot about features and updates, but Crush & Tell gave us space to explain the thinking, the care, and sometimes the debates behind what players experience every day," says Ingvar.

"I’ve especially loved being able to celebrate with the team the craft that goes into things like Fish or long-loved features. Letting fans see how much intention sits behind the game has been really meaningful."

She notes that, from the beginning, deciding which topics to cover was a collaborative process with "a lot of narrowing down". Ultimately, some episodes focused on a specific feature like the gameplay-narrative integration of Saga Adventures, or how collectible in-game pins were designed, tested and integrated.

Other episodes gave an overview of game design, the user experience and implementing new blockers with a range of behaviours.

"Bringing it to life took close collaboration across teams, from design to comms, to make sure we were being both transparent and thoughtful," Ingvar explains.

"Candy Crush has such a rich history and so many systems that we could easily have doubled the number of episodes. There are definitely areas we’d love to revisit or go deeper on in the future, especially around long-term progression, legacy features and how we balance innovation with familiarity for a game that’s been part of people’s lives for so long."

We ask whether this means more Crush & Tell episodes may follow in the future.

Ingvar confirms a second series is being considered, noting: "Following the fantastic results from season one, we’ll be looking to launch season two in the future. The appetite is absolutely there, both from players and internally. Crush & Tell has shown us that this kind of open dialogue really resonates, so it’s something we’re definitely considering."

Production, players and important conversations

When Crush & Tell began, Candy Crush VP of marketing Luken Aragon stated that the main goal was "connection". Its purpose was to deepen bonds with the established player community, showcasing where their feedback has inspired in-game change. At the same time, it was hoped that Crush & Tell would highlight the team’s creativity and attract a new audience.

On YouTube, each episode has surpassed 100,000 views and the most-watched video, The Comeback of the Fish, has surpassed two million views. Our interview at the time went deeper into the evolution of Candy Crush’s Fish and their new role as more intelligent helpers on the board.

Now, Ingvar adds that Crush & Tell has gone beyond a marketing move. In fact, it’s presented an opportunity to reevaluate other in-game features: "While it’s definitely a way to communicate more clearly with players, it’s been much more than a marketing exercise. Reflecting so openly on our features naturally sparks internal conversations.

"In some cases, it reaffirmed the value of things players truly care about, and in others it challenged us to look again at older systems and ask how we can make them feel fresh or more rewarding. That feedback loop is incredibly valuable, and it's a new way of getting feedback, which we treasure."

Ingvar also notes that certain changes and features have been implemented since Crush & Tell was filmed. From idea to launch, the series took several months to make and all six episodes were filmed ahead of the premiere in October.

"Candy Crush evolves constantly, so there have definitely been updates since then that would have been fun to include. But in a way, that’s also exciting. It means there’s always more to talk about, and the conversation never really stops."

Among the biggest lessons learned from Crush & Tell is the power of transparency and respecting an audience. Ingvar suggests fans appreciate being spoken to honestly - whether that’s Candy Crush Saga fans or otherwise. So, it’s also a lesson the Candy Crush team has shared with other games across King’s portfolio.

Lastly, we ask Ingvar whether Candy Crush’s philosophy has changed at all after reaching the mega Level 20,000 milestone.

She answers: "Reaching 20,000 levels is a huge moment and one we’re incredibly proud of. It’s a testament to the dedication, craft and skill of our teams and the loyalty of our players. It hasn’t changed our philosophy so much as reinforced it. Every level still needs to feel meaningful, fun and a sweet challenge for the player."

Shortly after concluding Crush & Tell’s first series, marketing for Candy Crush’s All Stars tournament has entered full swing. The 2026 competition kicked off on March 6th with an event hosted by former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and sports commentator Erin Andrews.