Supercell CEO Advocates for Greater Risk-Taking in Mobile Gaming Industry

Ilkka Paananen, CEO of mobile gaming giant Supercell, has called for the industry to embrace greater risk-taking to stay competitive. Speaking ahead of his participation in London Tech Week 2025, Paananen criticized the trend of companies relying on acquisitions rather than innovation, stating that this approach stifles creativity¹. His comments come as Supercell prepares to launch Squad Busters, its first global release since 2018, while investing heavily in five new projects.

Strategic Shifts in Supercell’s Approach

Supercell’s revenue surged 77% to €2.8B in 2024, rebounding from a 6% decline in 2023⁴. This growth stems from live-ops updates to Brawl Stars and strategic expansions into new genres like the co-op roguelite Project Rise. The company now operates three internal studios (Helsinki, US, Shanghai) and has invested in 15 external developers through its Spark Program¹. Despite this, Paananen acknowledges the challenge of surpassing the success of Clash of Clans, which has generated over $10B lifetime revenue.

“Some companies resign themselves to buying hits rather than creating them. This stifles creativity,” Paananen stated in a recent industry critique².

Cultural Emphasis on Controlled Failure

Supercell’s “cell” structure grants autonomous 10-15 member teams authority to cancel projects, exemplified by the termination of Clash Quest despite significant investment³. The company celebrates failed projects with champagne to reinforce risk-taking as a cultural value. This approach extends to hiring, where Supercell prioritizes passion and humility over experience, aligning with its core values of independence and ambition⁴.

Metric	2023	2024
Revenue	€1.77B (-6%)	€2.8B (+77%)
EBITDA	€632M (-14%)	Not Disclosed

Future Directions and Industry Impact

At London Tech Week 2025, Paananen will address European tech leadership and sustainability through the We Foundation⁵. Supercell’s current pipeline includes cross-platform development while avoiding what it terms “AAA pitfalls” – the bloated budgets and extended timelines plaguing traditional game studios¹. The company’s performance suggests its risk-tolerant model may offer lessons for an industry grappling with slowing mobile gaming growth.

Key takeaways from Supercell’s approach:

Autonomous small teams drive faster innovation cycles
Celebrating failure reduces risk aversion
Strategic patience allows multi-year development of hits

As Supercell prepares its first major launch in six years, the industry will watch whether Paananen’s advocacy for risk-taking yields another breakout hit or demonstrates the challenges of sustaining innovation in a maturing market.