How Supercell is moving beyond video games: investments, merchandise, esports, and an animated series

In a mobile gaming industry full of one-hit wonders, Finland’s Supercell has managed to sustain its steady success while embracing a unique corporate culture that defies conventional management wisdom.

The company organizes itself to give developers autonomy to create games, working in what the company calls “cells.” Rather than spamming out game after game to see what sticks, the company routinely kills titles far down the development road that don’t meet its standards. The result is that while it still only has four official releases, three of those games (Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Hay Day) brought in $924 million in profits on $2.3 billion in revenue for 2015.