Anyone who hasn’t spent the last ten years sleeping – or was too young – has certainly heard of candy Crush. Launched in April 2012, King’s game was a fever, the subject of research, reports and made people spend many hours in front of Facebook and smartphones.
He took over from Farmville, another sensation at the beginning of the last decade. In 2017, it reached the impressive mark of 2.7 billion downloads, going down in history as one of the gaming apps most used worldwide.
Ten years later, how about remembering – or discovering – some curiosities about King’s game? But beware, the danger of finishing reading this article and playing the game is real. Check out!
1. Created a generation of addicts
One of Candy Crush’s curiosities was discovered by researchers. They showed how the game produced dopamineknown as the neurotransmitter responsible for the sensation of pleasure.
Each time a user managed to pass a stage, the substance was secreted into the body. It turns out that dopamine also kicks in in the body through drug addiction and gambling.
It got to the point that in the UK there was a rehabilitation program for addicts, whose treatment cost up to R$10,000.
2. New levels are released frequently
(Source: King/Reproduction)Source: King
When King, the game’s developer, realized they needed to keep users motivated to keep playing, they created a pattern of launching new levels – or levels.
Since 2012, she has alternated between doing these releases weekly and biweekly, but always in the same number: 15 new levels added frequently for the most ardent fans.
As of May 2022, the game had 11150 levels. Not bad for a game that started with just 65 levels.
3. Game had a TV show
In 2017, CBS, one of the top TV networks in the United States, had the idea to capitalize on the success of Candy Crush by turning the game into a TV game show.
They were huge interactive boards based on the King’s title, using state-of-the-art technology to transform the worldwide phenomenon into a television hit. It didn’t work out very well and, after 12 episodes, the show was cancelled.
4. Majority of Candy Crush players are women
(Source: King/YouTube/Reproduction)Source: King
The most recent data on daily active users in the game – March 2022 – shows that Candy Crush continues to maintain a relatively high number: 13.23 million players.
This number was higher at the height of the pandemic – it reached 19 million – but it remains high. What is also significant is the percentage of women who play the game: 58%.
5. A game without “game over”
(Source: King/Reproduction)Source: King
One of King’s great strategies to turn the game into a worldwide success was to not allow room for a “game over”. In no time the game has an end. There was, of course, the risk that the game would become cloying.
Well, the game’s production team of designers thought of a simple solution: temporary limitation. At each period of time, the limit of lives is reset, making the user return to the platform, maintaining the state of excitement in the application.
6. Candy Crush and Call of Duty are from the same family
(Source: Activision/Reproduction)Source: Activision
In 2016, Activision Blizzard acquired King in a $5.9 billion deal. The owner of successful franchises such as Call of Duty bet on the acquisition to place it at the top among the largest gaming networks in the world.
At the time, the company reached the expressive mark of 500 million active users on its titles. More recent data indicate that the Candy Crush franchise alone has 350,000 monthly players.
7. Candy Crush spawned another 3 games
(Source: King/Reproduction)Source: King
Just like in the movies, a successful title yields sequels, right? In the case of Candy Crush, it yielded other titles with a similar premise – and different names.
In addition to the regular version, King created Soda Saga, Jelly Saga and Friends Saga. Each one has its particularity, but they are similar games. Including the release of dopamine, by the way.
8. Already made over $2 billion from in-app purchases
(Source: King/Reproduction)Source: King
In electronic games, one of the sources of income is the so-called in-app acquisitions. In King’s title, players have the possibility to buy lives or tools to help them overcome difficult levels.
Since debut, the title has already earned $2.2 billion in player spending. Of this slice, US$ 1.1 billion was made in the United States alone.
Is Candy Crush worth playing in 2022?
(Source: Pixabay)Source: Pixabay
It depends. Candy Crush is a game that demands a certain profile, which players used to big Xbox or PlayStation titles may not fit in. The same goes for those passionate about Roblox or Minecraft.
On the other hand, the mobility of the game weighs in favor the continuous update and its more modest graphicswhich allow it to be installed even on older devices, whether with Android or iOS.
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