Established in 2014 in Warsaw, Poland, Cherrypick Games has seen success with mobile hits such as Touchdown Hero, My Hospital and Crime Story, among others.
However, the journey for the studio hasn’t always been plain sailing. When the pandemic hit, it created challenges for the team which was focused on creating high-quality mobile titles.
Now Cherrypick Games is bouncing back with its latest title, Kingdoms: Merge & Build. We caught up with Cherrypick Games CEO Martin Kwasnica to discuss the title’s creation despite the pandemic and working with Apple.
Pocketgamer.biz: How was Cherrypick Games established back in 2014?
Martin Kwasnica: A team of gaming industry veterans founded Cherrypick Games. We wanted to use our experience and passion for games to create the highest quality games with a light and accessible style perfectly tailored to the player’s needs. We have a significant and ambitious goal: to become an internationally recognised publisher, and our products will represent the highest global quality and incorporate the latest player engagement techniques. Every day, we are making strides toward achieving this goal.
And how do you reflect on the studio’s journey so far?
Our journey as a studio has been quite a ride. We’ve faced difficulties and enjoyed some good times along the way. Our biggest project ever – Kingdoms: Merge&Build, which exclusively launched on Apple Arcade – demanded a lot from us, and we’re optimistic that it will do well in the end. We’ve put in a ton of effort and are excited to see where this journey takes us next.
CherryPick has had various mobile hits, but the pandemic took a toll on the team. What has it been like to recover from that?
We didn’t face any direct threats regarding production and publishing activities. We implemented preventive measures in the form of remote work. Generally, our employees had the opportunity to use such a solution once a week. However, during the pandemic, they were working from home daily. We learned a lot during that time and are currently working on establishing a more tailored solution for CPG to excel in productivity, fun, and team play.
We were expecting that the pandemic situation might generate interest among players in this segment due to limited access to other forms of entertainment. I think it wasn’t a bad time for the gaming industry itself.
Cherrypick is back to business with its newest title, Kingdoms: Merge & Build. What was the development process like for this game?
We kept the entire game development process under wraps, and no one knew about the game we were working on. Our vision was to create a game that combines builder simulation with user-friendly merge-2 crafting gameplay in a world where royals and townspeople collaboratively build their kingdom. We were confident that a well-designed, live-operated simulation game like this would appeal to Apple Arcade users.
The Apple Arcade community very well received Kingdoms: M&B, and we received much love from our players. Still, there is much more to come. We are working on new features, in-game events, fixing bugs, and improving the game.
The game is exclusively on Apple Arcade. What was the decision behind this, and how is it working with Apple?
Apple is a guarantee of quality because they choose their partners very carefully. It aligns with our quality standards. Our company mission is to craft high-quality mobile games for millions to enjoy, and Apple Arcade became a perfect fit.
We were also excited about the new experience of developing games for MacOS and TvOS. Apple Vision Pro may become an additional great way for people to enjoy our game, so we are also looking into this opportunity.
Working with Apple is an exciting experience, providing us with support and access to a broader audience.
Is there anything else you can tell us about that we should be on the lookout for from Cherrypick Games?
After some challenging years, we are back on track and working on great games again. Kingdoms: Merge and Build is our new game, still early on the market. At Cherrypick Games, we are also working on other projects with another strong partner from the Savvy Games Group.
We hope to share more info on those games soon – so stay tuned!
