3530: Candy Crush Accessibility Lessons From a 200 Million Player Game

If you have ever opened Candy Crush over the holidays without thinking about the design decisions behind every swipe, this episode offers a rare look behind the curtain. 

I sit down with Abigail Rindo, Head of Creative at King, to unpack how accessibility has evolved from a well-meaning afterthought into a core creative and commercial practice inside one of the world's most recognizable gaming studios. 

With more than 200 million people playing King's games each month, Abigail explains why inclusive design cannot be treated as charity or compliance, but as a responsibility that directly shapes product quality, player loyalty, and long-term growth.

One of the moments that really stayed with me in this conversation is the data. More than a quarter of King's global player base self identifies as having an accessibility need. Even more players benefit from accessibility features without ever labeling themselves that way. Abigail shares how adjustments like customizable audio for tinnitus, reduced flashing to limit eye strain, and subtle interaction changes can quietly transform everyday play for millions of people. These are not edge cases. They are everyday realities for a massive audience that lives with these games as part of their daily routine.

We also dig into how inclusive design sparks better creativity rather than limiting it. Abigail walks me through updates to Candy Crush Soda Saga, including the "hold and drag" mechanic that allows players to preview a move before committing. Inspired by the logic of holding a chess piece before placing it, this feature emerged directly from player research around visibility, dexterity, and comfort. It is a reminder that creative constraints, when grounded in real human needs, often lead to smarter and more elegant solutions.

Beyond mechanics and metrics, this conversation goes deeper into storytelling, empathy, and team culture. Abigail explains why inclusive design only works when inclusive teams are involved from the start, and how global storytelling choices help King design worlds that resonate everywhere from Stockholm to Antarctica.

We also talk about live service realities, blending quantitative data about what players do with qualitative insight into why they do it, especially when a game has been evolving for more than a decade.