Observed Signal · Sep 15, 2026 · Anniversary · Source: PocketGamer.biz · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Trailmix's Love & Pies Celebrates Five Years, Adapting Live Service
Trailmix Games, the London-based studio behind the merge game Love & Pies, reflects on five years of live service operations. General manager Felicity Gracie-Herst discusses the importance of community-driven development, adapting to changing player expectations, and the shift away from traditional user acquisition due to rising costs. The studio has rebuilt the game's economy with player input, emphasizing qualitative feedback alongside metrics. As the game enters its sixth year, Trailmix is leveraging lessons learned for future projects under new CEO James Nicholas, while remaining independent within the Supercell ecosystem. The article highlights the challenges and strategies of maintaining a live service game in a competitive casual market.
Highlights live service adaptation and community-driven growth, but is niche to a single game studio.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Love & Pies launched in September 2021 and has been live for five years.
- Trailmix rebuilt the game's economy in collaboration with its community.
- Carolin Krenzer stepped down as CEO, becoming executive chair; James Nicholas is now CEO.
- Supercell acquired a majority stake in Trailmix in 2022, but Trailmix retains independence.
- Trailmix emphasizes community-driven development and qualitative player feedback.
- Rising user acquisition costs have led Trailmix to focus on existing players and advocacy.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“That sentiment has also shaped how Trailmix approaches its relationship with Supercell.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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Trailmix appoints James Nicholas as CEO, Krenzer becomes executive chair
Trailmix, the studio behind the popular mobile game Love & Pies, has announced a leadership transition. Founder Carolin Krenzer is stepping down as CEO to become executive chair after nearly a decade at the helm, while James Nicholas, who joined as COO in 2023 and has been running day-to-day operations for eight months, has been promoted to CEO. Nicholas previously worked with Krenzer at King and has known her for 13 years. Krenzer expressed confidence in Nicholas's leadership, and Nicholas praised the founding team, focusing on maintaining the company's purpose and strategy. Trailmix was founded in 2017 by Krenzer and Tristan Clark, and Supercell acquired a majority stake in 2022.
Burny Games: 65M Downloads, Four Years of Lessons
Burny Games, a Ukrainian mobile game developer and publisher, marked four years with 65 million downloads and a 140-person team. CEO Anatolii Henis outlines four lessons: stop projects early when CPI (cost-per-install) and day‑1 retention metrics rule out scaling; structure autonomous mini-studios as separate business units for faster decision-making; treat publishing as a hands-on partnership rather than a high-volume testing pipeline (Burny launched publishing in 2025); and use technology to empower small teams. The company cites successful titles (e.g., Colorwood Associations with Infinity Games, 5 million downloads) and several discontinued projects that failed to meet retention or acquisition targets as instructive examples.
AdHoc Studio Celebrates Dispatch Anniversary, Reflects on Chaotic Development
AdHoc Studio marks the one-year anniversary of Dispatch, a narrative adventure game that became a surprise hit in 2025. The game has been played by over 5 million people. To celebrate, the studio is adding a commentary and storyboard mode to the deluxe edition, releasing a soundtrack vinyl and book, hosting a concert in Los Angeles on December 3, and launching the game on mobile on December 9. CEO Michael Choung discussed the chaotic development process, including learning self-publishing and dealing with console certification, which was 'crushing'. The studio initially struggled to find a publisher and was dropped by one, but secured finishing funds from Critical Role and other partners. Choung attributes the game's success to compelling characters and streamer-friendly design, which helped it gain traction on Steam. Looking ahead, AdHoc plans to continue episodic releases and is exploring film/TV adaptations of Dispatch.
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