‣ Company: Trailmix
‣ Founders: Carolin Krenzer, Tristan Clark
‣ Mission: To provide a “snackable yet nourishing” experience for game lovers of all types
‣ Game launched: 2021
‣ Team size: 30
As a game that unfolds in a bakery, Love & Pies unsurprisingly cooks up a whole lot of warmth. And it seems to have found a delicious recipe: merge-puzzles blended to perfection with a moving story line.
In Love & Pies, each merge you make helps Amelia, a single mom, to rebuild her family bakery after a fire – and solve the mystery of her own mother’s disappearance. “We call it a cozy telenovela,” says Carolin Krenzer, CEO of developer Trailmix.
We spoke to Krenzer about the game’s heartwarming world.
What kind of conversations did you have toward creating Love & Pies?
Tristan and I used to work at King Games, where we were inspired by how many people we reached. With that many people, you have to focus on having a positive impact. That’s where the nourishing aspect of Love & Pies comes from. The merging is fun, but the story is so important.
What does diversity look like in Love & Pies?
Our main character, Amelia, is a single mom, and moms aren’t often reflected in games. We also have a range of characters from a race and sexual-orientation perspective, including one who is nonbinary. You have to put a lot of effort into translations to make sure a nonbinary character works in different countries. We’re proud we’re putting that effort into making it happen.
Why does representation matter in gaming?
It’s incredible how impactful media is on people’s lives. When we talk about media, people often think about TV and films and how they help cultural shifts. But they forget that the games industry at this point is bigger. Millions of people are playing games, often because those fit better into their lifestyle. Games have an effect.
What do you find most fulfilling about your job?
Having players feel the love and care that went into the game. The team really cares about the experience the players have. It’s not about a game that the team loves, it’s keeping in mind that we’re making this game for, and being sensitive to the needs of, our players.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Reaching the audience and putting the game in front of everyone who should play it is never easy. A big advantage is our story world – it’s rare to find good storytelling games. So many people talk about the game and how high the quality is. Someone said they were subscribed to a streaming service and nothing was interesting. Then they started playing this game and the story was so good. That really does help us to stand out.
Trailmix is a part of the App Store Small Business Program. If you are a developer and would like to learn more about the program, follow the link below.