Maya Robertson
Supercell has cemented its place at the top of the mobile gaming industry by hitting a record $3 billion in revenue in 2024. The Finnish game developer saw a remarkable resurgence, with all its live games experiencing year-over-year sales growth for the first time since 2014. This milestone was driven by innovative strategies, exceptional team dynamics, and the unexpected explosive growth of Brawl Stars, which defied industry norms and company expectations.
Supercell’s impressive revenue numbers were accompanied by a surge in player engagement, with over 300 million monthly active players across its games worldwide. Among the standout successes was Brawl Stars, which achieved unprecedented growth despite being several years past its initial release. By every conceivable metric, including player count, engagement, and revenue, Brawl Stars outperformed expectations, cementing its status as a “forever game.”
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen attributed this success to the company’s culture of high ambition, risk-taking, patience, and long-term thinking. Despite Brawl Stars not being the top company priority in 2024, the game flourished thanks to the complete autonomy and innovative spirit of its development team. Frank Keienburg, who leads the Brawl Stars team, emphasized that scaling the team size allowed them to take calculated risks and implement both big and small updates, striking a better balance for innovation.
The team’s newfound ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously led to a fearless yet measured approach to updates. Keienburg explained, “Now we still take some big bets every update, but we also made space for smaller ideas that have a higher chance of success and incrementally improve the game. It’s about finding the right balance between predictability and the potential of big ideas.”
Supercell’s achievements in 2024 were not limited to Brawl Stars. The company launched Squad Busters in May, its first new game in over five years. Despite generating over $100 million in revenue during its first seven months and winning the Apple Game of the Year Award, the game has yet to meet Supercell’s aspirations. Paananen acknowledged this as a learning experience and emphasized that challenges are integral to growth.
Additionally, the year saw a significant expansion of Supercell’s workforce, which grew by 31% to 686 employees. The company also completed its 100% acquisition of UK-based Space Ape, which will now serve as the backbone of Supercell’s London operations. These developments underscore Supercell’s commitment to long-term growth and innovation.
Financially, Supercell’s revenue rose from €1.57 billion in 2023 to €2.78 billion ($3 billion) in 2024, marking a significant leap. EBITDA without deferrals increased from €492 million to €876 million ($902.7 million). The company chose to present revenue figures without deferrals to better reflect its rapid growth.
Reflecting on the year, Paananen expressed optimism about the future: “2024 was our best year ever, but I am convinced it won’t be the best year we’ll ever have. The best days are still ahead of us!”
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