Kwalee Company can be proud of its second game to break 50 million downloads! The first game from a company called “Draw It” received 95 million downloads. A simple tactile game that allows players to create a tasty sweet in a small bakery. The game won first place in the “Simulator” category in 20 countries.

Released in May 2020, the game won people’s attention who dreamed of becoming great masters of the pastry business. It was necessary to make a few clicks, follow the game’s advice, and be creative in your work. The player could decorate sweets with all kinds of fillings, candies and sugar powder. The game achieves a result of 10 million downloads in the first month since the release.

The headquarters of the company is located in Leamington Spa (England). They faced the challenge of remote jobs employees due to the widespread COVID-19 pandemic. But everyone was able to adapt to such conditions without any problems. The game was released on schedule, which allowed the company to expand staff to 160 employees in 13 countries and three offices in Leamington Spa, Bangalore and Beijing

David Darling, CEO of the company, expressed his thoughts on the success of the game and its role in the development of Kwalee as a global team:

David Darling

Seeing the success of Bake It along with a few other hit games of ours, like Object Hunt and Shootout 3D – it gives us confidence in remote working as the new model for our work culture. There’s a lot of potential we’re seeing in working this way to bring more hit games in the long term, especially with a globally-distributed team, so we’re excited about that.

David Darling

Before working in Kwalee, David was Codemasters company co-founder in 1986. He knew what a talented development team should be. He managed to assemble a team of people who had a passion for games and stubbornly strived for their goals.

To better understand the process of creating “Bake It”, Kwalee’s head of development Simon Platt published an article shortly after the game’s release. Detailing the team’s experience in developing and publishing “Bake It” during the pandemic:

Simon Platt

Testing and iteration are always important for us, but for a simulation game like Bake It, it felt especially important to get the physicality of the dough and icing feeling spot-on. We played with the tactility of the ingredients being used to allow players to make as much of a satisfying mess as possible. We also experimented with different mechanics based on real-world baking techniques, like cutting the top of the bake to give a flat icing surface and flood glazing

Simon Platt

The cherry on top of the game was ensured by the fact that interest in baking skyrocketed during the first lockdown, often referred to as a therapeutic and productive stress reliever. “Bake It” has been to our liking in this regard, but after over a year, it has also shown impressive metrics.

“Bake It” continues to grow up, tailoring the experience for all types of players so that anyone can be the best baker they can be. The game stands out for its design, simplicity and is an excellent example of an awesome hyper-casual game.

Aside from gaming, Kwalee is also very active in the industry. It is an ambassador for the not-for-profit organisation “Women in Games” and a constant supporter of the charity “SpecialEffect”.

Kwalee is currently on a third-party assignment called Hypercasual Heroes, in which developers have the chance to publish their games with Kwalee and secure some of that “Bake It” – style success – along with incredible, time-limited rewards including a Tesla Model 3 and a $100,000 advance with unlimited profit share. Open for submissions until August 31st, and developers can upload their 15-second game video to the new Kwalee Publisher Portal to be eligible.

As we can see from the example of the company, a good team always works together, even under challenging conditions. Lockdown and self-isolation have made teams’ work so complex that many companies fail to meet deadlines and tasks. Gamedev also does not stand aside from the ongoing events, initiating charitable and educational projects to help the most affected groups. Kwalee is a prime example of a great studio that wants to delight players with good games.

Do you love to create sweets? Share your thoughts and good recipes.

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