Supercell's plan to recapture the hunger and inventiveness of a startup after 16 years

• Supercell will put budget and time constraints on its new games teams.
• Staff that successfully launch a new game for the company can share in the profits, says CEO.
• Supercell's new games strategy includes the Spark program, AI Innovation Labs and Supercell Investments.

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen has published his annual blog post outlining the year’s successes and failures - this time zeroing in on the company's latest strategy for new game development.

The company hasn’t launched a successful new title since the release of Brawl Stars in 2018. Squad Busters generated $100 million, but later became its first live game to be shut down. Mo.co is currently undergoing a revamp after going live worldwide.

Paananen has outlined an ongoing restructure at the company for the last couple of years as it split its business in two: live games and new games.

Supercell appointed Sara Bach as head of live games in 2023. More recently, she was appointed as president. The firm also recruited Drussila Hollanda as head of new games last year.

Paananen said Supercell doubled its investment in new games and innovation in 2025 compared to the year prior. This year, the company aims to “roughly double it” again.

The company’s founder said that while he has spent over two years talking about new game teams operating like startups, he admitted “we only went partway there”.

“We attracted entrepreneurial founders and gave them independence, but we didn't
create the full conditions that make startups work,” he said.

“That was my failure. Now we're trying to fix it.”

Evolving strategy

Supercell’s approach, which includes previously discussed Spark program, has the company greenlight teams, not game concepts.

But the company has now implemented some changes to how it approaches new game development. Firstly, new game teams at Supercell now work with real budget-based constraints, “not theoretical ones”.

“In my time as an entrepreneur and investor, I've rarely seen great products emerge from teams with unlimited budgets and endless runways," said Paananen.

"Too many resources lead to unfocused exploration, not creative breakthroughs. Constraints force prioritisation. They force you to find clever solutions instead of throwing money at problems. They create urgency.”

New game teams at Supercell can also now take a share of their game’s profits if it's successful. The move is a bid to attract entrepreneurs to join Supercell, rather than start their own business. The offer is similar to that offered by some Chinese companies like Lilith Games, which also offers a share of profits for new releases.

In a further move to attract founders, Paananen said the company will offer a launchpad for developers looking to launch new games. Supercell ended 2025 with 290 million monthly active players across its portfolio and works with tens of thousands of content creators as part of its Creator Program.

Investments for Supercell’s new games initiative include:

• The Spark Program. This is a program of game jams and rapid prototyping for complete teams or individuals looking for co-founders.
• The AI Innovation Labs. Supercell operates these Labs in Helsinki, San Francisco and Tokyo, exploring how AI can be integrated into games.
• Supercell Investments. The company is continuing to invest in external studios and teams across platforms and genres.

“I don't know if what we're building will work,” said Paananen. “We're a nearly 16-year-old company trying to recapture the hunger and inventiveness of a startup. That's not easy. We'll probably make mistakes along the way.

“But I believe the industry needs more companies willing to try. The mobile games market won't reach its potential through optimisation alone. Someone needs to create the next experience that brings new players in. The next moment that expands what people think mobile games can be.”