Meet the Team: Kristina Cheng
In celebration of our Valentine’s Day update for Mall Stars, we’re going behind the scenes to interview Mall Stars Product Manager, Kristina Cheng!
1. Can you briefly explain what you do here at PlayFirst?
As a Product Manager, I get to see how players interact with our games in order to figure out how to make them more fun and engaging!
2. What's the favorite part of your job?
Developing and releasing a game often requires the hard work of a whole lot of people, and what's cool about my role is that I basically get the opportunity to work with them all-- from design to engineering to marketing and much more, it's so interesting to be involved in each part of the process.
3. What hobbies/interests do you have outside of work?
Fortunately PlayFirst is located in San Francisco where there's so much to do-- on my free time, I like taking my bike out around Golden Gate Park, checking out museums and shows in the area, and playing video games, of course!
4. What type of games do you like to play?
For me, there's a time and place for all types of games. I like to pass time on the train ride to work with a tricky puzzle game, or I'll relax in the evening with something more cinematic and story-driven. Then there are times when I'm compelled to load up an action game where I can hack and slash/shoot/blow stuff up.
5. If you could design your dream game, what would it be?
It'd be an adventure with both stealth and action components. The story would be driven by mystery and criminal intrigue, starring Freddie Mercury (my cat, not the musician), with cameos from a few of my favorite things-- such as baked goods and Thor.
Thanks to Kristina for participating! Join us next week and meet another PlayFirst team member!
If you haven’t updated to the latest version of Mall Stars, download it free now!
Written by Chris
Explore Winter Wonderland in Diner Dash and Mall Stars!
Diner Dash and Mall Stars have both received some delightfully festive updates this past week in celebration of the holiday season!


Diner Dash players can now experience the Winter Wonderland venue for FREE! Experience your favorite game covered in fluffy white snow! We also made it easier to seat guests by simply dragging and releasing.
Mall Stars players can now experience a mall full of festively dressed Stars, new holiday themed items and venues as well as the new Santa’s Little Helper mini-game.
We have also introduced iPhone 5 support for Mall Stars to ensure an optimal experience for all of our iPhone 5 players!
Existing players of these two games can simply update in iTunes.
For new players:
Click here to download Diner Dash for FREE!
Click here to download Mall Stars for FREE!
Written by Chris
Mall Stars Update – Super Star Special!
Check out this awesome chance to get some of our Super Stars for a great price!

All you have to do is download the new update and visit the store to receive, Bella Bauhaus and Walter Wiley for 50% off!
Mall Stars is available for FREE on iPhone and iPad.
All existing players should just update in iTunes.
Click here to start shopping!
Written by Chris
Games in this post: Mall Stars
PlayFirst Halloween Postcards!
Check out these fangtastic Halloween postcards and celebrate Halloween in spooktacular fashion!


Click on either of the above images to download the postcards!
Try not to eat too much candy! If you need some down time to relax, check out our new Halloween update to Mall Stars. It’s available FREE on your iPhone and iPad.
Download Mall Stars here.
Happy Halloween!
Written by Chris
Meet the latest Stars!
A few weeks ago we briefly showcased a few pictures of Jon the Hipster and Brianna the Librarian but today we wanted to give them a more in depth introduction.
Brianna is the DinerTown librarian and a huge bookworm! When she visits your mall, she’ll be on the hunt for a new read.
Jon Jaden, otherwise known as Jon the Hipster is always looking for the latest and greatest new item, before everyone else wants it of course.
Get to know these Stars today! Download Mall Stars free on your iPhone or iPad and build your own mall!
Written by Chris
Games in this post: Mall Stars
Mall Stars – Halloween Spotlight!
The latest Mall Stars update adds some spooky Halloween fun to your Mall! Today we want to break down all the new content and show you some of the cool collectibles available for purchase.

Start by placing the new seasonal store, Haunts & Hallows!
This store houses the following items:
- Witchy Wendy Costume
- Gentleman Werewolf
- Princess Perfect Dress
- Begowned Gorgon
- Kitschy Kimono
- Headless Harry Costume
- Dracula Duds
- Officer Ophelia Costume
- Yeti Suit- Frankenstein’s Businessman
- Fairy Godmother
- Affable Alien Costume
The Mall Stars loading screen has also been given a spooky makeover!
If you aren’t yet playing it, check out Mall Stars! It’s FREE and available on iPad and iPhone now! Existing players should update their game if they already haven’t.
Written by Chris
Games in this post: Mall Stars
Get Spooky with Mall Stars!
The newest update for Mall Stars is out and it features some really cool new characters. Meet Jon and Brianna.
Jon loves shopping for vintage clothes while Brianna loves to buy books!
In addition to these awesome new characters, we’re adding a swarm of seasonal items for you to collect, all in the spirit of Halloween!
Update today and get started!
Game on!
Written by Chris
Games in this post: Mall Stars
Mall Stars 1.5 Update Notes

We’ve spent the last few weeks working to perfect this latest update and we’re incredibly happy with how it turned out! We’ve got a lot of tweaks, changes and improvements to make Mall Stars even more fun!
The latest changes are:
- 9 New Land Expansions
- Expand your Mall to twice the regular size!
- Earn ‘SUPER’ Shopping Frenzies!
- Fulfill special requests and increase your chances of getting bonus hearts!
- Restock Worker Improvements
- We’ve added a tutorial to explain the functions and features of the restock worker.
- Restock worker will now also collect coins.
- Performance tweaks
- Enjoy a smoother, faster and more stable game!
You asked and we listened. Download the new Mall Stars update today!
Never played before? Click here to download.
Game on!
Written by Chris
Games in this post: Mall Stars
Mall Stars – Updated FAQ
We understand some of our players have had questions regarding the latest Mall Stars update (v1.4) and what changes it brings to the Mall Stars universe. We've got all your answers below!
Why do I earn more hearts all of a sudden? Why are they easier to earn in 1.4?
We want Mall Stars to be a fun experience. We’ve realized that our players wanted more hearts to progress through the game and we listened. In update 1.4, players will have a higher percentage of earning hearts each time their Stars enter into a shopping frenzy.
I never have enough supplies. I need to restock faster. What can I do?
A lot of players don’t realize you can purchase additional loading docks. The more docks a person has, the faster their supplies will increase. More supplies means more stock and more stock means more happy, heart giving Stars! Consider picking up a second loading dock to increase the pace and fun of Mall Stars.
I can’t expand my mall any further. How am I supposed to level up?
In the upcoming 1.5 update, players will be given a greater amount of expansion room than ever before! Until 1.5 is released, players will not be able to expand their malls any further. With no expansion space, players may be wondering how to level up. We’d like to introduce you to the store swapping feature.
When you tap on a store, you have the option to swap it for another store/attraction of the same size. When stores or attractions are swapped out, the player earns exp equivalent to that of a new store. Using this method, players are able to swap stores in and out depending on the needs and wants of the Stars currently visiting the mall!
What other features does 1.4 contain? Why should I upgrade?
On top of fixing a lot of performance issues, we’ve added a whole bunch of new quests for players to complete. These quests will earn you currency that you can put back into your mall! Additionally, we’ve introduced a handy restock worker who will take care of your mall while you aren’t around.
The restock worker is available to purchase for 10 hearts from the ingame store and will restock your entire mall for an additional heart. Each time the player uses this restock service, the worker will deduct one heart from your total.
Note: He won’t restock your mall until the majority of your items are out. This prevents him from taking all your hearts away.
We’ve also got a bunch of new attractions for players to place in their mall. Remember, you can swap out your old stores for these new ones!
I have a bug or error that isn’t explained here. What should I do?
If you’re having any performance issues or experiencing any bugs within your game, please contact our customer support team so that we can record and fix these errors as quickly as possible. You can contact our team via support@playfirst.com.
Mall Stars – Tips & Tricks Guide!
Everybody wants to get the most out of their mall and today we show you how! PlayFirst staff have submitted their top tips for playing Mall Stars and we can’t wait to share them with you.
Tip #1 - Swapping stores (EXP boost)
Pressing and holding your finger down on a store or attraction will bring up the swap menu. You can swap stores in and out to maximize your EXP bonuses! You can use this to earn more EXP even if you can’t afford to expand your mall! A word of caution though, you will lose all of your stocked items.
Tip #2 - Certain Mall Stars award more hearts
Stars like Cathy Cashian will provide more hearts than others. Make sure you play each star for a while and learn which ones pay the most. Once you know, prioritize those stars to maximize your heart earning!
Tip #3 - Shopping Frenzies
To maximize how many hearts you earn, make sure you are constantly getting shopping frenzies! Your stars have a much higher chance of giving hearts if you can keep them on shopping frenzies.
If you haven’t played Mall Stars yet, get it here. It’s FREE and available on iPad/iPhone.
Written by Chris





