The Aligning of the Stars: Supercell's Squad Busters Makes a Splash

Supercell, one of the most successful mobile game developers, has achieved its success with just five games under its belt. The Finnish developer's sixth title, Squad Busters, launched on May 29 and has already become a massive hit, generating $1.1 million on its launch day and surpassing 30 million downloads. According to game lead Eino Joas, this is the biggest launch the company has ever had. The game's success is significant, given that Supercell has a reputation for frequently canceling games that do not meet its high standards, even if they have reached public beta or soft launch in select markets. Between the 2018 launch of Brawl Stars and the recent debut of Squad Busters, six titles in public beta or soft launch were scrapped. So, what made Squad Busters stand out? 'Our bar is very, very high for these global releases,' Joas explains. 'All of the other games that we've had in soft launch or in various betas, I think they've all had something that didn't click and didn't work. It's very tough, that's the truth of it, and only Squad Busters is one where all the stars aligned. We had a package that we were able to go the full mile with.' Marketing executive Rob Lowe adds that Squad Busters offers something new and has huge potential to appeal to a broad audience. The game is easy to pick up and play, features characters that appeal to both younger and older audiences, and has a fun multiplayer aspect. Squad Busters is a multiplayer action game where players guide a group of characters as they automatically defeat enemies and collect treasure, competing to gain more points than other players in the match. The characters in the game are from past Supercell titles, such as the chicken from Hay Day and the barbarian from Clash of Clans. This approach is rare in mobile games, but former Nintendo marketing executive Lowe believes it is a natural progression for Supercell, given its success, especially since the launch of Clash twelve years ago. Having a mobile game that has lasted that long is incredible in a market where things change very fast. The barbarian from Clash is one of the only iconic characters to come out of a mobile game, and when you add in characters like Shelly and Colt from Brawl Stars, who have their own following with a whole new generation of kids, Supercell is lucky to have that springboard. Given the success of brand collaborations in live service games, especially on mobile, it is possible that non-Supercell IP will join the squads in the future. Lowe says that the company is looking at this option, but anything that is added must fit with the game's style and feel. The art director is focused on ensuring that any new additions feel like they belong in the universe. Squad Busters is not just a significant release for Supercell; it is also a tentpole release in the mobile market, likened to 'the GTA 6 of the mobile world.' The studio's success and standing make this game a major launch in the market, which lacks the big launches seen in console and PC gaming. The disparity between the two markets is partly due to the nature of how mobile games are developed as live-service games. Supercell took a different approach with Squad Busters, opting for a short soft-launch window and a big bang launch. This approach is more typical of AAA game launches and is atypical of mobile launches. The company's analysis showed that this approach would work, and the game's success has proven that. The mobile market faces challenges, including discoverability, which often requires significant investment. Supercell is in a fortunate position, having five successful hit titles already out, which gives the company the ability to take risks. The company also has a huge Creator community of content creators who have been creating content for its games ecosystem for up to twelve years. This community helps shortcut some of the difficulties in discoverability. The quality of games is also important, and there are many high-quality games being released, making it difficult to stand out. The initial success of Squad Busters shows that Supercell's bet on the party action game is paying off, but it also adds pressure to other teams within the studio working on future games. The expectation for any game team at Supercell is that none of them set out to make a small game; the bar is as high as it ever was. The company will continue to work on Squad Busters, adding content and making it the best it can be.