Supercell Strikes Again: Classic Game Doubles Revenue, Nears $5.4 Million Daily

After delivering five global hits, Finland's Supercell faced challenges: its obsession with small teams and lightweight, rapid-iteration games led to no new releases for five years. Post-Tencent acquisition, its revenue dipped. Small teams struggled to meet the demands of a massive player base, and Finland's long holidays slowed response to player feedback.

CEO Ilkka Paananen addressed this in the annual letter: “We were hesitant about growing our teams for a long time, fearing more bureaucracy and processes. Two years ago, we overcame this because we realized bigger teams could empower us to deliver better content for players.”

Along with expanding teams, Brawl Stars underwent major IP collaborations and revamped its monetization, scrapping the loot box system. The result? From June 2023 to February 2024, revenue jumped nearly ninefold, pushing the game back into the top 20 best-sellers.

In 2025, Supercell launched bold reforms for Clash Royale. Data firm AppMagic estimates that on July 4, 2025, daily revenue hit over $5.4 million—the highest since December 2021.

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Supercell's Monetization Evolution: Pioneering Battle Pass and Player Value Redistribution

Beyond hits, Supercell has led mobile monetization innovation. Since Fortnite popularized Battle Passes in 2018, Supercell's Clash of Clans was among the first mobile games to adopt the model.

In April 2019, Clash of Clans introduced the Gold Pass alongside its global tournament system. Within a day, it topped US iPhone revenue charts and re-entered top 10 in 112 countries, with monthly revenue soaring 100 million USD, revitalizing the nearly seven-year-old title.

Unlike traditional season passes, Battle Passes mix free and paid tiers with level caps. Free rewards are accessible to all, while paid tiers offer richer rewards—cosmetics, experience, premium currency, and daily challenges. Players pay a modest price but can earn rewards over a month by completing tasks, boosting both monetization and player engagement.

Battle Pass-like systems were later adopted by PUBG MOBILE, Honor of Kings, and Naruto Mobile, driving strong results. Supercell's innovations helped Tencent's overall revenue rebound post-2018 challenges.

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Clash Royale's Biggest Update: Merge Tactics and Strategic Improvements

The 2025 update introduced Merge Tactics—a four-player turn-based mode starting at Arena 3, accessed via the Game Mode Switcher, no deck-building needed. Players select cards from a shared pool, deploy, merge, and battle automatically, with a unique “Ruler” character providing passive skills.

New features include Spirit Empress, a dual-mode flying and melee fighter, and an evolved Skeleton Barrel that drops two barrels sequentially, each spawning skeletons on damage.

Ranked mode now resets every season, requiring players to reach certain trophies or ranks to participate. From August, only Champion League players gain access. Lower challenger ranks were removed, focusing competition closer to the top.

Rewards were rebalanced to help more players progress, with Elite Wild Cards redistributed. Seasonal events and challenges moved to the Game Mode Switcher, with modes like Global Tournament and 2v2 Classic planned to return.

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Ongoing Growth Through Bold Changes

Since early 2025, revenue has risen four months straight. The Battle Pass system was revamped—increasing levels by 50%, improving rewards, and encouraging players to fully level up. An April update removed chest timers and season tokens, growing monthly revenue 34 million USD, up 67% from March.

May's “The Undead March” update added witch evolutions and milestone events, pushing daily revenue above 2.6 million USD, sustaining daily millions throughout the month.

June's IP tie-in with How to Train Your Dragon boosted daily revenue near 4.3 million USD, proving crossovers remain a strong monetization strategy.

July 4 saw the launch of Merge Tactics, attracting new and returning players with fresh, casual-friendly gameplay. The merge-two mechanic has proven popular across many hits, including Lemon Games' merge titles that have reached monthly revenues of over 71 million USD. The four-player turn-based battle adds new excitement, especially for a veteran title looking to expand its audience.

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Conclusion

Clash Royale's transformation follows Brawl Stars in breaking old patterns. Charmie Kim, head of Supercell's London studio (formerly Space Ape), told the press their new game uses AI NPCs but isn't an “AI game.” She noted their different launch strategies reflect Supercell's “new experimental era.”

The industry often follows a 70-20-10 formula: 70% familiar content, 20% refinements, 10% innovation. While safe, this breeds sameness. Since 2022, Supercell has boldly challenged norms—growing teams, listening to players, and innovating fearlessly.

As CEO Ilkka Paananen said recently, “You have to take big risks and do something fresh. Playing it safe rarely works. So go crazy and create something different.”

The market and players have responded well. Brawl Stars proved that. Though Clash Royale's July results are still unfolding, the signs point to another big success.

Supercell's bold innovations and major updates to classics like Clash Royale and Brawl Stars have driven revenue growth, with daily earnings hitting millions of dollars. Their pioneering use of Battle Pass systems, strategic gameplay modes like Merge Tactics, and high-profile IP collaborations have boosted player engagement and monetization. These successful transformations highlight Supercell’s leadership in mobile game innovation and market adaptation.

The images in this article are official screenshots released by Supercell.