Supercell's latest venture, Squad Busters, has been likened to Smash Bros, with many saying "the stars aligned" for this new release

Supercell, renowned for its tremendous success in mobile gaming, has launched a new hit, Squad Busters, on May 29. This Finnish company, known for only having released five titles prior, witnessed a remarkable launch with their sixth game.

Upon release, $1.1 million was generated by Squad Busters on its first day, and it rapidly surpassed 30 million downloads. Eino Joas, the game's lead, commented to GamesIndustry.biz that this is "by far the biggest launch that we've had." By just the second day, the game had already covered its casting expenses for the star-studded live action trailer that featured Chris Hemsworth, Christina Ricci, and Ken Jeong. Supercell's marketing exec, Rob Lowe, noted that while the profits are not yet confirmed, the game is "quickly getting toward profitability."

Squad Busters stands out as only the sixth global release by Supercell in its 14-year history. Known for its high standards, the studio often cancels many potential projects, even after soft launches or public beta tests. Between Brawl Stars' 2018 launch and Squad Busters' release, six titles were scrapped. Joas elaborates, "Our bar is very, very high for these global releases. Only Squad Busters is one where all the stars aligned. We had a package that we were able to go the full mile with."

"Our bar is very, very high for these global releases. Only Squad Busters is one where all the stars aligned. We had a package that we were able to go the full mile with"

Eino Joas, Supercell

Discussing the game's appeal, Lowe highlighted that it offers something new for Supercell's portfolio, with its easy-to-learn yet engaging multiplayer design reminiscent of Mario Party and Mario Kart. According to him, the diverse character appeal attracts both younger and older players, potentially bringing numerous new users to Supercell.

In Squad Busters, players control various characters who automatically defeat enemies and collect treasures to outscore opponents. The characters are familiar faces from previous Supercell games, such as the chicken from Hay Day and the barbarian from Clash of Clans.

Lowe, formerly with Nintendo's marketing team, pointed out the significance of having enduring characters in the fast-changing mobile market. "The Barbarian of Clash is one of the only iconic characters unique to mobile games, probably ever," he remarked. "When you add in characters like Shelly and Colt from Brawl Stars... we’re very lucky to have that springboard when a lot of other mobile studios don't. Squad Busters is our Smash Bros."

Reflecting on the potential for including third-party IPs in Squad Busters, Lowe mentioned that they are considering options. However, any new characters must fit the game's chibi anime style and feel natural within its universe. "Our art director on the game is very focused on how it feels, and that it feels like it fits into the universe, which is absolutely the right way of thinking about it," Lowe said. "It needs to work within the game."

In a recent GI Microcast episode, MobileGamer.biz editor Neil Long compared Squad Busters' significance in the mobile market to "the GTA 6 of the mobile world," underscoring the impact of Supercell's titles and highlighting a relative scarcity of major mobile game launches compared to console and PC releases.

"We're lucky to have that springboard when a lot of other mobile studios don't. So, of course, we're going to use it. Squad Busters is our Smash Bros."

Rob Lowe, Supercell

Rob Lowe attributes part of Squad Busters' launch strategy to the way mobile games are designed as live-service experiences. "We opted for a brief soft-launch window starting in April 2024; in a perfect scenario, it probably would have been a bit longer. However, this allowed us to have a major launch. We announced the soft launch, and soon after, announced the global rollout. Both our artillery and that of our partners like Apple and Google were directed towards that launch. This is more common for AAA games and unusual for mobile releases," Lowe explains.

This approach is markedly different from many mobile games that often remain in soft-launch for extended periods to gauge player interaction. Subsequent global launches occur after understanding which audiences are most engaged. Lowe asserts that both strategies can be effective.

"Through extensive analysis, we learned two things: by launching big, awareness is initially high, then dips, but eventually rises again. Alternatively, you can start small and grow over time. Both methods lead to similar outcomes, giving developers a choice," he notes.

Lowe also highlights Supercell's unique ability to leverage multiple intellectual properties in games like Squad Busters, noting, "Not every mobile developer has the kind of affection and love that Supercell does."

"Not many mobile companies could have launched like we did, but we felt quite confident due to the anticipation," he adds.

Discussing the broader context of mobile game releases, Lowe believes they merit more attention akin to that given to PC and console games. "Mobile games shouldn't be excluded from general gaming conversations," he argues. He compares it to how all video games were once lumped together with a bit of stigma at Nintendo fifteen years ago. Now, with the mainstream success of titles like The Last of Us and Fallout in film and TV, he sees no reason why mobile games shouldn't share the same spotlight.

"I hope this perspective changes. Many people don't realize popular mobile games like Candy Crush or Clash of Clans are video games. Our marketing strategy aims to change this perception by bringing beloved characters together, surprising viewers who wouldn't expect them in a game advertisement," Lowe states.

"It used to be that as long as you brought a quality product, the audience would find it, but now you need the whole package to have a chance"

Eino Joas, Supercell

This underscores the broader challenges faced by mobile developers. Like their console and PC counterparts, there's a deluge of new releases, making discoverability a considerable challenge. Nevertheless, Lowe points out that Apple and Google have been excellent partners in aiding Supercell's efforts.

"Discoverability often needs significant investment. You can have a good feeling about your game's quality through soft launch testing and various metrics, but the real test comes when you go global. We are fortunate at Supercell to have existing hit titles, giving us some room to take risks, unlike other mobile companies that can't afford to take much risk, especially in marketing," Lowe mentions.

Eino Joas adds that Supercell's Creator community is another major asset. "We've had content creators supporting our games ecosystem for up to twelve years. Our Creator program helps maintain these creators' interest, featuring our upcoming games and providing substantial reach through our own channels," Joas says.

"It's not just the number of games but also their quality. There's a revolution with high-quality games being released, making it difficult to stand out. In the past, a quality product was enough to succeed, but now you need the entire package," Joas highlights.

The initial success of Squad Busters indicates that Supercell's party action game choice is already proving fruitful. However, does this success put pressure on other teams within Supercell working on new projects?

"Every team aims to achieve great success, not just settling for mediocrity," Joas says with a laugh. "We set our standards based on past hits. Though we remain cautious, the early response has been fantastic. We'll continue adding content and fine-tuning the game to maintain its success."