The Transformation of Mobile Gaming

With nearly half of the world’s population either casual or active gamers, mobile gaming has become an undeniable force for players, developers and brands. Supercell, a company that has transformed from a small studio focused on crafting great games to a global powerhouse in modern gaming, reveals the brand licensing strategies that have propelled its billion-dollar gaming titles to new heights.

Gamers Front and Center

Founded to create fun and engaging games, Supercell has stayed true to its roots by keeping gamers at the heart of its development process. 

“We keep gamers front and center in everything we do, and we’re constantly improving our games and adding new features to keep loyal fans interested and engaged,” says Andrea Fasulo, head, global licensing, Supercell. “Supercell has more than 200 million monthly active players across our games, and the reason they keep playing with us isn’t just the sense of the fun but the deep and compelling gameplay and the social elements of our games. Moreover, Supercell’s game teams are the true owners of the games, and they have full independence to decide how they want to develop them further. The people who work here love games, and you can see that in the games we make.”

The independence granted to Supercell’s studios results in a passionate development environment, immersive gameplay and well thought-out social elements to drive player engagement. That engagement then generates an organic fanbase with a deep-rooted connection to the brand.

Related:10 Minutes With … Supercell on Licensing in the Mobile Gaming Space

“This year, we brought a huge number of new players into ‘Clash of Clans’ with our Erling Haaland partnership,” adds Fasulo. “And it’s not just new players – introducing these new elements and features brings back players who loved Clash five or ten years ago and gives them another reason to revisit a game they love.”

The latest collaboration with footballer, Haaland, showcased the versatility of brand licensing in gaming and the proven ability for mobile games to build a global fan base.

“Believe it or not, Erling has been playing ‘Clash’ for a decade and approached us about a partnership,” says Fasulo. “He’s a football legend, so we couldn’t resist. He became the first ‘real life’ person to star in the game, and fans could play as him – while fans of his club’s rival teams had the chance to raid his village. Alongside that, we added a whole host of football-themed features into the game, including special troop characters and medal events. We supported the launch with an innovative out-of-home campaign that saw digital billboards featuring Haaland erected near rival teams’ stadiums.”

By bringing Haaland into the game and introducing football-themed features, Supercell not only embraced their fans by actually placing one into the game but created on-ramps for new fans in the process.

A still from “Squad Busters”

The Games Driving Supercell

Since its launch over a decade ago, “Clash of Clans” has grown alongside the meteoric rise of mobile gaming and cemented itself as a keystone brand in casual gaming.

“When ‘Clash of Clans’ launched in 2012, the mobile gaming world was on the cusp of a major transformation, fueled by rapid advancements in smartphone technology and increasing internet accessibility,” says Fasulo. “We offered incredible, in-depth and visually arresting gameplay that kept players engaged and interested. Over time, we’ve continued to add new features that players love, meaning we’ve kept our audience and grown to attract new players. Some of our players have been with us since the launch and are now playing the game with their kids. With ‘Brawl Stars,’ our gamers love the chaotic fun, and we’ve sought to mirror that this year with unexpected partnerships, such as the iconic ‘Baby Shark’ for April Fool’s, Godzilla and enlisting DragonForce to pen a ‘Brawl Stars’-themed track.”

“Brawl Stars,” an online multiplayer battle game launched in 2018, is experiencing its highest global player numbers, a remarkable achievement for a game that has already generated $2 billion in lifetime revenue. The game’s popularity on social media platforms, especially TikTok, has paved the way for successful brand licensing opportunities. Fans’ desire to bring “Brawl Stars” out of their smartphones and into the real world has led to product collaborations.

Supercell’s strategic partnership with WildBrain CPLG, a global entertainment and brand licensing agency, has expanded the reach of its franchises. Starting with The World of Clash, which includes “Clash of Clans” and “Clash Royale,” and extending to “Brawl Stars,” this partnership leverages WildBrain CPLG’s expertise to bring Supercell’s characters and games into the consumer market through various products.

“Partnering with WildBrain CPLG has allowed us to extend our reach beyond digital games,” says Fasulo. “Creating tangible products provides new ways for players to connect with their favorite games and characters.”

Not a developer to rest on its laurels, Supercell continues to innovate with new releases like “Squad Busters,” which saw massive anticipation from fans and showcased the company’s commitment to creating great games.

“May saw the global release of our new party action game, ‘Squad Busters,’ and with 40 million pre-registrations, that meant millions of fans were ready and love being able to play as their favorite characters from games across Supercell’s portfolio,” adds Fasulo. “What’s exciting for us is that more and more people outside the gaming world are becoming aware of our unique characters, such as Barbarian and Greg (in fact, Chris Hemsworth and Will Arnett played them respectively in our launch film). And this is just the beginning; with more games in development, it provides us with a continuous pipeline of licensing, content and partnership opportunities – and that is exciting.”

Mobile gaming continues to grow, and Supercell’s strategy of creating authentic brand licensing initiatives built on immersive, go-anywhere gameplay has generated millions of fans, and promises to keep that momentum going with new titles, iterations and collaborations.

This story was taken from the August 2024 issue of License Global. Read the full issue here ...