Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on the "bold" decision to close Squad Busters

• Squad Busters marks the first time a live game team at Supercell has chosen to end development.
• The title earned over $100m in its lifetime but fell short of expectations, with a final update coming in December 2025.
• Paananen said Supercell will share insights from the project to help developers build better global games.

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen has opened up on the "bold" decision to end development on Squad Busters. 

In a LinkedIn post, Paananen thanked millions of players who supported Squad Busters since launch, celebrating their creativity, memes, and “chaotic squads". 

He acknowledged that while the game “didn’t reach the heights we hoped for”, it brought valuable lessons that will shape Supercell’s future projects.

“To our Squad Busters team, I cannot even express the mad respect I have for every Supercellian that has worked on this game," said Paananen. 

“This is the first time in the history of Supercell that our live game team decided to end development. It was a bold decision to launch the game, but I would argue that this decision was even bolder."

Lessons learned

Paananen said the studio would share its learnings in the future to help others “get better at creating new games for global audiences".

“While the game didn't reach the heights we hoped for, the joy and passion you brought to it made every step in this journey worthwhile," said Paananen. “We'll learn from this to come back with exciting games in the future, and hope you'll embark on new adventures with us then."

Squad Busters originally launched globally in May 2024 and brought together characters from across Supercell’s franchises in a fast-paced multiplayer experience.

The game earned over $100 million during its lifetime but fell short of expectations, with a final update scheduled for December 2025. 

Elsewhere, Supercell has opened sign-ups for the second alpha test of Boat Game, an island-exploration multiplayer title in which players collect treasure and battle enemies.