Part of what makes Toca Boca games so lovable is also their business downfall, in a sense. A parent might buy an app for $2.99 in 2013 and still have the same app, with no additional payments, on her phone three years later. “My hope is that you’ll keep that in mind,” said Jeffery. “When a parent needs to find a new game easily, in an airport or on a Saturday morning when a kid needs a treat, [that experience means] they will go looking for another Toca Boca game.”

“It’s a slower way: Building a company, building a brand. It’s the way that we chose; it’s not the way to make quick money.”