Supercell's 'tablet first' strategy is well documented, though the Finnish studio which recently enjoyed bundles of success with Clash of Clans and Hay Day has now gone even further than before.
Speaking on stage during last week's Slush Conference in Helsinki, CEO Ilkka Paananen predicted that tablets will be the dominant games platform within the next few years.
Tablet tales
"We have a strategy that is tablet first," said Paananen.
"Tablet is the ultimate game platform. Most of the gaming three to five years ahead will happen on that device."
Focusing on tablets, he suggested, will be key to a developer's success in the future, though Paananen had plenty of other tips, suggesting that studios need to think both big and small at the same time.
"We're big-small," he offered.
"By thinking really small can achieve big things these days. Set up a relatively small development team four to six people - operating independently without bureaucracy. Organise them into cells = 'supercells'."
DefinitionPaananen went on to dismiss the idea that the industry will get better if teams get bigger you can "lose innovation", he added.
"These new platforms are perfect to rethink how games are made," he continued.
"Touch user interfaces are still a relatively new thing. We try to go as deep as possible on the social side. For most companies social equals marketing tactics. We don't do that - roughly 90 percent of users come from organic sources."
In terms of advice for newcomers, Paananen claimed developers have to learn to say no - "Right now I have 50 ideas I have right now and have to say no to all of them," he added.
"What really helps us is to start from a target setting. If you want to become the number 1 company in a category, then define what the game is. It forces you to define your category and how youre competing."
News
CEO
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, lively Chris is up for anything - including running Steel Media! (Madman!)
Related Articles
Feature
Jun 10th, 2024
Hot Five: Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Top Stories
News
11 hours, 24 minutes ago
App Store developers can start nominating their games for featuring later this year
News
12 hours, 39 minutes ago
Apple joins generative AI revolution with Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT support
News
Jun 10th, 2024
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalisation
Feature
Jun 10th, 2024
Hot Five: Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Events
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |
Steam Next Fest: June 2024 Edition | Jun 10th | |
WN Conference Istanbul 2024 | Jun 11th | |
GamesForum Hamburg 2024 | Europe | Jun 11th |
ESI London 2024 | Europe | Jun 13th |
Game Con Canada (GCC) 2024 | North America | Jun 14th |
Indie Dev Play 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |