VGU: The power ups introduced in the previous games have proven to be highly popular. What new items have been introduced in Candy Crush Jelly Saga?

Andreas: We launched Candy Crush Jelly Saga with a new booster – the colourbomb hammer – which allows the player to remove all of the same colour candy from the board. Players love the lollipop hammer in the first two Candy Crush games and so our inspiration for the new booster came from this.

VGU: What was the biggest challenge in creating a sequel to the hugely successful Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Soda Saga?

Andreas: The biggest challenge we had when we were creating Candy Crush Jelly Saga was ensuring that we had another great game that could live together symbiotically with the other two games in the franchise.

Candy Crush Jelly offers players a more competitive gameplay experience than its sister titles with the introduction of its boss modes – Jelly Boss and Puffler Boss – where you compete against an in game opponent. However, players will find elements that are familiar in the sister titles that they know and love.

VGU: Nearly every level in Candy Crush Jelly Saga requires you to fill the game board with Jelly, similar to the Soda levels in Candy Crush Soda Saga. Why did you decide to make this a permanent objective? One of the new level types introduced in Jelly Saga is the Boss Mode. What inspired these levels to be included in the game?

Andreas: Our inspiration for Jelly actually came from the jam mode in Candy Crush Soda because it was so popular with players that we wanted to build on the concept and concentrated on making it a more prominent feature in the game.

The main difference between the two games is the boss modes where players go head-to-head against the Jelly Queen and Cupcake Carl on certain levels. With an in game opponent to play against we could build on the puzzle challenge and add more strategic and competitive elements that I think our players will really enjoy.

VGU: Are you planning on adding new levels to the 120 that are included with the first release?

Andreas: That’s correct, as with many of our games, we plan to add additional levels over time.

VGU: The story of Candy Crush Jelly Saga focuses on a young yeti by the name of Jenny. How did you create her narrative whilst creating a game about solving randomised puzzles?

Andreas: The characters are an important part of the development process whenever we launch a new game. Yeti, who is Jenny’s uncle in the game, features in both Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Soda Saga and so we wanted to evolve the characters and the story in our latest instalment. Players love characters like Yeti and we hope that they’ll grow to love Jenny, the Jelly Queen and Cupcake Carl just as much!

VGU: The map screen in Candy Crush Jelly Saga now scrolls into the background. Why did you decide to change this from the flat map screen we have seen in the previous games?

Andreas: We are always looking to offer players a different experience with each of our games and so the map is something that has naturally evolved and progressed through the three different Candy games. The Jelly map is now 3D – it’s like a globe that you scroll down so it has a really different feel to it.

VGU: Now that Candy Crush Jelly Saga has been released, do you have any ideas for the next entry in the series?

Andreas: We can’t give away any specific information about our games pipeline but it is our long-term strategy to continue to develop and grow our franchises like Candy Crush, Farm Heroes, Pet Rescue and Bubble Witch. Our games teams also work very hard to bring players new levels and challenges, keeping the games fresh and exciting. For example, last year Candy Crush ran a live op called Cake Climb where players could take part in a challenge to win prizes. A similar live op also ran in Candy Crush Soda called Bubblegum Hill.

VGU: Are there any plans to port Candy Crush Jelly Saga to platforms outside of the mobile gaming market?

Andreas: Mobile games are a rapidly growing market and it’s where the majority of our players are. Facebook also remains an important partner for us as it adds a social layer to the gameplay experience, and allows people to play in a variety of ways, whether it’s on their PC or on mobile.