CEO of Supercell on the Harsh Truth About Game Development

Are you a founder building the next big thing? Apply to Speedrun today - https://speedrun.a16z.com/ Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen reveals why his team kills most of their games and how that ruthless approach led to Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. In this episode, Ilkka explains how flipping the org chart created a culture where small, independent teams can take big creative swings and why the CEO should get out of the way. 🧠 Topics Covered: - Why Supercell kills ~90% of the games they make - How a failed Facebook game led to Clash of Clans - Letting small teams make big decisions - Building a company where players come first - Culture vs. process: how to actually build legendary teams - The mindset of founders who beat the odds 🔥 Building a startup? Join Speedrun, the accelerator powered by a16z, designed to help founders move fast with capital, mentorship, and top investors. 👉 Apply now: https://speedrun.a16z.com/ 📲 Follow us for more insights: X: https://x.com/speedrun?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun/ Chapters: 0:00 - 0:55 – Supercell’s Reputation for Killing Games 0:55 - 5:05 – Building a Unique Company Culture 5:05 - 6:30 – The Importance of Documenting Values Early 6:30 - 7:45 – Finding Top Talent Before Success 7:45 - 10:30 – Structuring Teams for New vs. Live Games 10:30 - 12:00 – Pivoting from Web to Mobile 12:00 - 13:45 – Evolving Game Quality Standards 13:45 - 16:30 – Founder Advice on Product-Market Fit 16:30 - 20:25 – Crafting a Bold Pitch and Common Mistakes 20:25 - 26:00 – Gaming Trends, AI, and Future Opportunities 26:00 - 28:30 – Disruption, Innovation, and Closing Thoughts #supercell #clashofclans #brawlstars #IlkkaPaananen #a16z #speedrun #GamingStartups #gamedevelopment #startuplessons #marcandreessen #ai