XBOX’s 25th anniversary is here candy Crush Saga. Available now, the Game On! Season brings together Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, DOOM, Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro for four weeks of collectible pins and very familiar music with a distinctly Candy Crush sound.
For anyone who has spent years with these games, there is a lot to recognize. But putting them in the Candy Kingdom meant figuring out which details to keep, which details to play with.
Another type of armor collection
At the center of the season is a collection of XBOX 25 pins. Players earn pins as they progress candy Crush Saga levels, bringing together characters and moments from all eight franchises. Look for Master Chief’s helmet, Cacodemon from DOOM and Dr. Neo Cortex from Crash Bandicoot, as well as Candy Crush characters donning their costumes.
The teams behind these worlds worked with King on the designs. For Halo, that meant finding room for both the franchise’s most recognizable armor and the personalities of the characters who wear it.
“Halo’s music is an iconic part of the franchise, and seeing it ‘candified’ into something playful and unexpected, while still being undeniably Halo, was a lot of fun,” says Corrine Robinson, lead director of the Halo franchise. “We took the same approach with the pins: starting with the Candy Crush characters and introducing some of Halo’s most recognizable elements. Tiffi in pink Mjolnir armor, topped with her iconic bow, was a perfect mix of Spartan, while Dachs in Grunt armor quickly became my favorite. The Candy Crush team was a fantastic creative partner and we enjoyed bringing our two very different worlds together in a way that felt authentic to both franchises and, most importantly, fun for both franchises.
Fallout takes costume changes in a different direction. Vault Boy makes an appearance, Dachs borrows Dogmeat’s armor, and Bubblegum Troll gets a Vault suit. As Daniel Lee, Associate Art Director at Bethesda Game Studios, points out, Wasteland already knows a thing or two about candy:
“Sugar Bombs, Fancy Lad Snack Cakes, Radioactive Gumdrops, the Wasteland is certainly no stranger to sweet treats. Working with King to bring two very different worlds together has been a real pleasure.
“In addition to the appearance of our own Vault Boy, you’ll also find Dachs wearing Dogmeat’s armor and even the Bubblegum Troll in a Vault Suit! My favorite part though is how they’ve paired Fallout’s music with their own amazing soundtrack. What an incredibly fun way to celebrate 25 years of XBOX.”
Turn up the volume
The music deserves more attentive listening. Six themes, taken from Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, DOOM and Banjo-Kazooie, have been reworked in the Candy Crush style and integrated into gameplay throughout the season.
The recordings feature an orchestra, the Bulgaria Voices Berlin choir and, yes, an accordion. Composer Federico Truzzi worked on the arrangements, with Dominique Devoucoux, King’s audio lead, and Sebastian Aav, audio lead, sharing the thinking behind the project in a behind-the-scenes video.
It’s a chance to hear music you know well in a different setting, whether you first heard it while exploring the Wasteland, setting sail, or playing Banjo-Kazooie. All six tracks will also be available on participating studio streaming platforms and channels, so you can listen to them outside of the game.
For Rare, the collaboration brings both its characters and music to a new audience.
“Candy Crush is a game that has a universal appeal that brightens up whatever platform you choose to play it on, and the same goes for Rare’s colorful, exuberant worlds and characters,” said Adam Park, Head of Brand and Licensing at Rare. “That’s why the opportunity to introduce heroes like Banjo, Kazooie, and Pendragon to the Candy Crush universe, where a whole new audience can be charmed by them, was simply too good to pass up. And, of course, it’s a huge honor to have iconic tracks from our games reimagined by artists whose interpretations bring a whole new candy flavor to fan favorites. A perfect match!”
Start your collection
The game is on! The season runs until December 6, 2026, at candy Crush Saga on iOS and Android. Alongside the pin collecting and music, an arcade-themed leagues event gives players the chance to compete and climb the leaderboard.
Some pins are also appearing in the game. VIP players in the United States can enter a contest on candycrush.com for a chance to win one of 1,000 limited edition physical pin packs.
Candy Crush Saga is free to download on iOS and Android. Grab the game, start collecting, and leave the sound on. You’ll want to know how these themes were candified, trust us.
Gn tech
