Latest news with #ClashOfClans
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Supercell boss: 'We need to take bigger risks'
For someone pushing his company to break new ground, Ilkka Paananen appears wearing shoes, like everyone else in the office - it's a Finnish thing I'm told - he tells me the mobile gaming industry needs shaking up."We need to take bigger risks," says Mr Paananen the chief executive of Finland's Supercell - a giant in the world of mobile games. "We have to create new kinds of game experiences," he company already has some of the most successful mobile games ever released; last year Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars generated more than a billion dollars between over the past couple of years Mr Paananen has "significantly" increased investment in new games, hired more staff and set up new game studios."We have a lot of very, very talented, ambitious teams who are trying to reimagine what mobile games might look like in, say, 2030, and I wish I had the answer. I don't, but you can certainly expect different types of game experiences than you've seen so far on mobile," he says. Mr Paananen underlines the need for innovation with a statistic; last year 60% of the time spent on mobile games was accounted for by games that were at least six years old, and only 10% of playing time was on titles developed in the past without exciting new games, the industry will struggle for attention."The competition for people's free time is so much tougher these days. And not only are you competing against other games, but you're competing against social media, music streaming, video streaming, etc, all available on your mobile phone," he reason the industry is not churning out games, he says, is the expense. In the early days, mobile games were simpler and cheaper to make than games played on consoles and PCs. But not anymore."Building games has actually become a lot more expensive," says Mr Paananen. "The main reason is that the platform [smartphones] enables you to do way more today than 10 years ago. And the other thing is that the kind of a bar is just way higher in consumers' minds." Supercell's own production line has stumbled. Launched last year, Squad Busters had a strong start, but has faded since then."The truth is that it hasn't met our ambition, at least not yet," admits Mr February, Supercell appointed a new general manager to Squad Busters."The team has made some really, really bold changes to the game. And of course, time will tell," Mr Paananen has taken a different approach with another new game, The monster hunting game was launched in March, but only to those with an invite from Supercell."It's hard to measure what they consider to be a success with that one... it's still invite only and hasn't really set the world on fire," says Neil Long, the founder and editor of and who has been a video games journalist for more than 20 years. "Mobile games are quite an extreme business, where the successes are really big, but also the failures are really, really big," he points to last month's decision by games maker Activision to pull a mobile version of its huge hit game, Call of Duty."They would have spent years developing this game, and then they launched, it didn't work, and it's dead within a year... that's why people aren't taking risks, because, you know, the failures are very visible and costly."He also points out that the mobile games industry has changed a lot in the years since Supercell launched its hit games. There's much more competition and some developers are choosing not to make a big, splashy launch, and instead tweak games on the go. "Maybe the era of these mega launches is kind of over," says Mr Long."Sometimes it's better to put your game out there and then just sort of build it as you go and learn what players like and don't like," he says. Supercell gives a lot of independence to the teams that are working on new games. At the moment there are 10 of them with games in various stages of of their guiding principles is to create games with longevity. "The question that our teams ask themselves is: 'Why would people play this game in five or 10 years?'.""They'd love to be in the same class of companies like, say, Nintendo, for example. It's been around more than 100 years."Mr Long says at the core of Supercells' success is a simple principle."They take quite complex game ideas and make them really easy and accessible to play, and sort of cartoony and fun." Like many businesses, Mr Paananen is hopeful that AI will help spur innovation. At Supercell it's being used to create new types of games."I've seen some internal prototypes, but it's super early. I think it's going to take a few years for somebody to invent something completely new on that front."But it's one of those things where it's not a question of if it's going to happen. It's question of when it's going to happen and who will make it happen."Supercell also has its AI Innovation Lab in Helsinki. It's a chance for people external to the company to experiment with Supercell's intellectual property, including its games and characters. "We basically gave them a free hand to do whatever they wanted, in order to spark innovation. Mr Paananen says it's been a "massive success" and another is planned for San Francisco."The end result might not even be a game, or a game that you and I would think about as a game, but it's completely different experience enabled by AI."Mr Long says AI has been useful in specific areas, like speeding up game development or analysing player so far nothing revolutionary."In terms of creating entirely new types of games we've yet to see it. And it doesn't feel like it's about to happen just yet, but we'll see."
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Netflix confirms TV series based on hit game downloaded by 4 BILLION players as telly fans promised ‘epic battles'
Sean Keach, Head of Technology and Science Published: Invalid Date, NETFLIX is plotting a major animated TV series based on two of the world's most popular video games. More than 65 million and 18 million players log on to each of the title's every month – and now they're about to be transformed into a television show. 4 Clash of Clans came out in 2012, followed by the release of Clash Royale in 2016. These mobile gaming titans have dominated iPhone and Android app stores for years. The pair of games have been downloaded more than four billion times – resulting in hundreds of billions of hours of gameplay. Now Netflix has confirmed that it "will rally the clan" with an animated TV show based on the games. The series is now in "early pre-production", but there's no firm release date yet. Supercell, the company behind the games, is directly involved in the production. The showrunner is set to be Fletcher Moules, who directed existing Clash of Clans animated videos, and has also worked on Entergalactic and Agent Elvis. He'll be joined by executive producer Ron Weiner, credited as working on Silicon Valley, 30 Rock, Futurama, and Arrested Development. "Clash has been a global gaming phenomenon for over a decade," said Netflix animation boss John Derderian. "Filled with humor, action, and unforgettable characters perfect for an animated series adaptation. Netflix unveils first TV make-over in 10 years for millions of viewers "Working with the incredible team at Supercell, Fletcher Moules, and Ron Weiner, we're bringing all the fun, chaos, and spirit of the world of Clash to life in a whole new way. "We can't wait for fans – old and new – to experience the mayhem." Clash isn't the first animated series to land on Netflix. The streaming platform is also home to Arcade, which is based on smash-hit Riot Games title League of Legends. 4 And we've also seen other popular animated series including Devil May Cry, Blue Eye Samurai, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and Sonic Prime. Details about the Clash series are being kept secret for now, but Supercell film and TV boss Curtis Lelash has already teased what's coming. "We're thrilled to be working with Netflix and this creative team to bring the world of CLASH to life," Lelash said. "Think epic battles, immaculate Barbarian mustaches, and the kind of humour our players know and love. NETFLIX PRICES AND PERKS – HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING? Here's what you need to know... Netflix Standard with Ads Price: £4.99 UK / $7.99 US Ad-supported, all but a few movies and TV shows available, unlimited mobile games Watch on 2 supported devices at a time Watch in 1080p (Full HD) Download on 2 supported devices at a time Netflix Standard Price: £10.99 UK / $17.99 US Unlimited ad-free movies, TV shows, and mobile games Watch on 2 supported devices at a time Watch in 1080p (Full HD) Download on 2 supported devices at a time Option to add 1 extra member who doesn't live with you Netflix Premium Price: £17.99 UK / $24.99 US Unlimited ad-free movies, TV shows, and mobile games Watch on 4 supported devices at a time Watch in 4K (Ultra HD) + HDR Download on 6 supported devices at a time Option to add up to 2 extra members who don't live with you Netflix spatial audio Picture Credit: Netflix "They've been asking for a Clash series forever, and we're beyond excited to finally say: It's happening!" Netflix is now days away from its major Tudum 2025 live event on May 31, where it will reveal news about its biggest TV shows and movies. Earlier this month, Netflix teased that it was about to begin a major app makeover for TVs – the first in 10 years. Netflix kicked off the controversial roll-out of its new look earlier this week. 4 The streaming giant also recently bagged a deal to stream Sesame Street, with 90 hours of telly plus a whole new season. But some Amazon Fire TV Stick owners won't be able to watch it as they lose support for Netflix.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Netflix is turning mobile blockbuster Clash of Clans into an animated series
In the great big 'ol list of games that are getting an adaptation you can now add Clash of Clans to the list. Supercell's mobile strategy games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, two of the biggest, highest grossing games in the world, will serve as the foundation for a new animated series at Netflix. According to Netflix, the show's premise features, 'a determined but in-over-his-head barbarian who must rally a band of misfits to defend their village and navigate the comically absurd politics of war.' The streaming platform has selected Fletcher Moules, director of several official Clash of Clan s animated shorts, as the showrunner with Ron Weiner from 30 Rock and Silicon Valley joining him as the show's game adaptations are all the rage in Hollywood lately, aided by the critical success of shows like The Last of Us and Fallout. Netflix itself has produced several successful adaptations including Arcane: A League of Legends Story and Castlevania making for an interesting synergy with the company's own gaming offerings. And while Netflix Games offers a robust selection of casual and traditional games to play for free via subscription, Clash of Clans itself is not one of them.
