Supercell launches Brawl Stars as minigame on Tencent’s WeChat, Clash Royale following soon

Finnish studio Supercell plans to launch Clash Royale as an installation-free minigame on Tencent-owned WeChat.

As reported by South China Morning Post, Brawl Stars is already available on the messaging platform under the name Weixin, while Clash Royale is in development for a planned September release.

“This approach accommodates both existing players, ensuring their progress is saved, and new players, who will benefit from a streamlined experience," said Supercell business and operations lead for Clash of Clans Jakub Barczyk.

Barczyk also said the developer is focusing on WeChat minigames due to the market’s rapid growth and the rising popularity of lightweight, instantly playable games.

“This strategy aims to seamlessly integrate Supercell’s popular games into the everyday routines of Chinese users through WeChat, providing easy access with classic experiences,” he added.

Continued partnership 

Supercell already has close links with Tencent, with the Chinese publisher acquiring an 84% stake in the Finnish developer for $8.6 billion in 2016. Earlier this year, Tencent published Squad Busters in China, though the title has yet to take off in the country.

Since launching in 2018, WeChat minigames have attracted 500 million monthly active users, with over 300 titles surpassing ¥10 million ($1.4m) in quarterly sales, according to WeChat data.

Last year, game design expert Jakub Remiar shared insights on WeChat minigames and the platform’s strong gaming growth in China.