INTRODUCTION

In October 2025, when Squad Busters was officially announced to be shutting down, many mo.co players were a bit nervous. At the time of the shutdown, mo.co's statistics were lower than those of Squad Busters, which was at an all-time low. Players were tense because Supercell could now shut down not just a game in beta, but a game that had already been released globally.

At the time, mo.co content was being released regularly, although the then-legendary "neo mo.co" update would be released 237 days after its announcement. During this time, the game's monthly revenue plummeted by 97% (from $400,000 in September 2025 to $12,000 in April 2026). And then, the long-awaited update was released - revenue increased by 900% to $120,000.

However, this article isn't primarily about numbers, although there will be some. In this article, we'll look at five reasons why mo.co won't shut down and will remain a fixture among the company's other titles.

CONTEXT

Before we get into the reasons, here's a little context about what this game is.

mo.co is a mobile action-RPG from Supercell where you play as a hunter of monsters from parallel worlds. The gameplay features a top-down perspective, fast-paced combat, multiplayer co-op, PvP modes, and dungeons. Visually, the game looks like a mix of anime and street culture: vibrant characters, trendy clothing, and a cool soundtrack.

The concept is unusual even by Supercell standards - you work for a startup that hunts monsters as a business. Luna, Jax, and Manny are the founders of this company, and you're one of their hired hunters.

Speaking of the game's release, it was released globally on March 18, 2025, although development initially began in October 2023. This is Supercell's seventh game to be released globally, following Squad Busters. What's notable here is that the game went global immediately, without an official launch event (as with Brawl Stars in 2018 or Squad Busters in 2024) or a soft launch in several countries.

In terms of numbers, the results were very weak. In the first month, the game brought in only $900,000 and 3 million downloads. These figures look good, but compared to the company's other titles, they are very weak. The previous game, Squad Busters, brought in $23,000,000 and 19 million downloads in its first month. Brawl Stars, on the other hand, brought in $63,500,000 in its first month.

Initially, the game had Chapters. Two of them were released in total - the first on the game's launch day, the second on June 16, 2025. The premise was simple: choose a world, a weapon, an outfit, and go hunting monsters. Of course, different worlds had different monsters - both regular and bosses. By defeating them, you earned experience points, which allowed you to advance in level. The game also featured special quests that earned you extra experience. There were also dojos, rifts, and even team modes. However, after the release of Chapter 2, a long lull began. On September 26, 2025, the developers officially announced the name of the new update - "neo mo.co" - which would fundamentally change the game. The update was so large that Chapter 2 would end a full 11 months after its release. On May 20, 2026, the game will go on a 24-hour maintenance break, making it the longest in the history of any Supercell game. On May 21, players will be able to play a completely new version of mo.co. To be honest, as an active player myself, the first couple of days were really difficult to get used to the new version. Yes, the update has truly been global and the largest in the game's history. However, let's talk about the most interesting part: the reasons why the game will live on. We'll examine the most compelling points that provide a strong argument for the title of this article. Let me point out right away: all the reasons listed below are purely my opinion and how I see it. You, as a reader, may have your own reasons, so I'd be happy if you shared them in the comments on our social media.

REASON 1 - REVENUE IS NOT IMPORTANT

I don't think I need to explain why game developers release online games - for profit. Supercell is no exception - games are made not only for the benefit of players, but also for the benefit of the developers themselves. However, in the case of mo.co, the situation is different. Players have begun to actively notice the game's catastrophically low revenue - both upon initial release and overall. In almost 15 months of its existence, the game has generated $4,759,000. To put this into perspective, Boom Beach, the second-to-last game in terms of revenue, surpassed this figure in just five months, three times faster. For Supercell games, it's extremely unusual to see such low figures. However, what if I told you that these figures are intentionally low? More accurately, it's not me who'll say this, but João Freitas, who in the fall of 2025 will state that Supercell deliberately underinvested in marketing, keeping its player base small to gather feedback and refine the game before scaling.

This point, incidentally, is the exact opposite of the effect of Squad Busters. In that same game, the developers actively promoted the game externally rather than internally - inviting Hollywood stars and promoting their game wherever possible. In short, the game's marketing was top-notch. However, the developers neglected the second step - developing the game itself. Yes, the game was hyped, but now they need to keep players engaged, not have them play it for a week or two and then delete it. This, incidentally, was one of the reasons the game failed and its development is being discontinued. Incidentally, if you're interested in learning more about this topic, check out our extensive article on Squad Busters' revenue.

Let's return to mo.co - here the developers are taking a reverse approach: first they launch the game globally, then they look at player feedback, and only then they refine it. And once the game is polished, then it can be promoted. So what if the game's current revenue, even with neo mo.co, is nine times lower than Boom Beach? These games can't be compared, and there will come a time when mo.co's revenue will skyrocket. This is a truly interesting point: the developers value player feedback more than how to extract more money from players, especially when they themselves say so.

REASON 2 - SUPERCELL'S REPUTATION

Okay, let's just speculate. After players played mo.co for a while, they were divided into two camps: some believed the game had potential and needed time to prove itself; others said mo.co was the next Squad Busters, following in its footsteps. Let me ask a simple question: why would the company shut down mo.co? What was the reason? There would have to be a truly compelling reason to close a game. For example, lack of profitability. What's the point of investing in a game that's not profitable? That money needs to be redirected elsewhere, rather than promoting the same old thing. However, as we discussed in the first reason, in mo.co's case, they don't need profit or big numbers.

There's simply no point in Supercell shutting down mo.co. The company is already known in the mobile gaming industry for having a huge number of closed projects. Over its history, the company has shut down approximately 30 games, 16 of which are publicly known. In 2016, CEO Ilkka Paananen stated that “releasing four games meant killing off 14”. And after Squad Busters' closure, the company's reputation was tarnished, at the very least. It seemed that while games were previously closed while in beta, now the company could shut down a game that had already been released globally! The donation issue is particularly noteworthy: when Squad Busters closed, players could only get their money back in 2025, when the game was 15-20 times less popular than in 2024, where donations were clearly higher. There's simply no point in Supercell digging its own grave deeper by killing off another new global game, especially so quickly. Even imagining mo.co closing forever would completely destroy players' faith in the company's future projects, which will undoubtedly continue. The new games will be much weaker than the previous ones, if only because most players will simply refuse to play them, saying, "Why waste money and time on a game that's going to close in a short time?" And the company will have to work very hard to simply restore players' faith. Even if we imagine a tragic end for mo.сo, it won't happen anytime soon...

REASON 3 - THE RELEASE AND PROMOTION OF NEO MO.СO

The game's largest update was released on May 21, 2026 - players waited 237 days for it since its initial announcement. You could even say it wasn't just an update, but a full-fledged rework. Judge for yourself: if you're a long-time mo.сo player, you'll immediately agree how much the game has changed. Weapons now have special abilities, be it healing or additional damage. Instead of new chapters, there are now month-long seasons. The list goes on and on, but one thing is certain: this version has radically changed everything. It's like Brawl Stars' global launch - with numerous character remodels, the game became horizontal instead of vertical, and then it entered esports.

Of course, the current version of mo.сo is far from ideal. For example, the leveling imbalance is unbalanced. If you only get 25,000 experience per level before level 60, then after that it's 50,000, 100,000, and so on up to 1,000,000 in just one level. Even though the season's maximum is level 76, which, at the time of writing, only four players worldwide have reached, reaching it won't be easy. Even I, a daily mo.сo player, am only level 70. Reaching level 76 simply by completing all the dojos, rifts, and daily quests isn't enough. Even if you've completed everything, you still need to play more and more to reach the desired goal. But again, I'm sure all these nuances will be changed sooner or later; you can't criticize a game that's only been in a new update for 16 days.

The bottom line is that the release of Neo mo.сo is just the beginning, and with each update, more and more improvements will be released that will only improve the game. And the improvements are highly likely to hit the mark, because in reason #5 we'll look at another interesting point.

REASON 4 - ETHICAL MONETIZATION MODEL (FAIR-TO-PLAY)

Let's return to the game's revenue. Let's look at why the game's revenue is only slightly over $100,000. It's simple: in mo.co, you can only buy cosmetics with donations. For example, outfits, mounts, and weapon skins. In other words, all the money a player spends on the game is cosmetics. These are simply to make them look better in the menu and in battle. None of the skins improve the player's performance in battle - for example, if someone has an expensive collectible skin, they won't be stronger than someone playing with a basic outfit. This makes all players equal, but now everything will depend on how often and how well you play. Obviously, if you play 10 hours a day, you'll make more progress than someone who only plays 2 hours.

The recent collaboration with Marshall Columbia only confirmed this. The game features 21 new outfits, mounts, and hats. If players are drawn to the new outfits, they can spend their money on them. This approach has already proven effective in games like Fortnite and Path of Exile, where the main driver of sales is players' desire to look cool, rather than spending money on power. This creates a healthy competitive environment. Moreover, this approach often attracts a huge audience willing to pay for high-quality visual content.

REASON 5: OPENNESS AND PLAYER INVOLVEMENT IN DEVELOPMENT

This is perhaps the strongest factor guaranteeing mo.co's longevity. Supercell has transformed game development into a public process, where the community is not just a source of ideas, but an equal partner.

Here are a few striking examples that clearly demonstrate this:

Players change the game through feedback. The team actively collects feedback via Reddit, Discord, and social media, and key changes to the game are directly based on it. For example, to address the issue of gameplay monotony, the developers conducted a large-scale test of the new meta, analyzed the feedback, and, having confirmed they were on the right track, officially announced the changes to the game.

Public plans: no "secret development." Instead of quietly reworking the game, the developers announced the "neo mo.co" plan in advance and publicly teased the upcoming changes for months on social media and Discord, turning players into collaborators eagerly anticipating and testing new ideas.

Protection against closure: a policy of complete transparency. When rumors of low revenues caused players to worry about the game's fate, the community manager came forward with a public statement. He not only dispelled doubts but also explained the strategy directly: "Revenue isn't one." The team's current goal is to make the best game possible, not chase revenue.

"Immersion in the world": playing in development. Finally, the very process itself is part of the mo.co universe. For example, community manager João Freitas, who calls himself a "Specialized Chaos Energy Strategist," solves player problems while remaining completely immersed in the game's lore and atmosphere.

One thing is certain: the developers are listening to their community, which will not let it die... at least in the coming years.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, based on the above reasons, one thing can be said: the game is thriving after so long. Since the release of neo mo.co, the game has had a great chance to advance and become one of Supercell's long-standing titles. We hope that mo.co continues to develop in the same direction it is currently heading. Remember: although the developers are with the community, the final decision will be theirs, and the game's future depends solely on them - whether it will survive or follow the fate of the company's previous titles…