INTRODUCTION

In 2024, Supercell achieved record financial results. Revenue (excluding deferred revenue) grew from €1.57 billion in 2023 to €2.78 billion - approximately $3 billion. EBITDA increased by 78%, reaching €876 million. The studio's six live games simultaneously saw sales growth for the first time since 2014. The monthly active audience exceeded 250 million players.

These figures reflect not only the talent of its developers, but also the way Supercell has built relationships with the people who create content for its games. The company has grown a modest partner program of approximately 1,200 members into a community of nearly 300,000 creators. These creators have a combined audience of 2.2 billion subscribers, and the content views they have generated have reached 229 billion. Engaged views grew by 199% year-over-year.

The foundation of this success is the Supercell Creator Program. In March 2026, the program received a radical update - Creators 2.0 - which transformed it from a creator support system into a fully-fledged game progression system with seasons, quests, XP, and a rewards system for viewers. Here's how it was built.

CHAPTER 1. HOW IT ALL BEGAN

It all started organically. Back in 2018, creators could register in the system and receive creator codes - referral codes that awarded a percentage of their viewers' purchases. But this was more of a technical feature than a fully-fledged program.

The real story began in 2019, when Supercell officially launched the Creator Program. At the time, it consisted of approximately 1,000-1,200 creators. According to Rick Crane, who now leads the initiative, it was initially just a "Slack channel with a handful of creators."

"We've never been really official about it or shouting from the rooftops because we just didn't feel it was quite there yet”, Rick said in an interview with mobilegamer.biz. But now we're super happy with where it is, so we can talk about it loud and proud now."

In 2023, the program was rebooted. The entry barriers were lowered. Access to Creator Academy, an educational platform, now required just 100 subscribers on YouTube, 25 on Twitch, or 1,000 on TikTok. The results were immediate: applications increased by 800%.

"This has been a big year for the Creator Program, and we have a great product to help newer creators go full-time." Rick said at the time.

By 2025, the program's membership had surpassed 300,000. But Supercell didn't stop there.

CHAPTER 2. WHY SUPERCELL DOESN'T BUY LOYALTY

In the mobile gaming industry, exclusive contracts with major influencers are common. You pay the influencer, and they praise your game. It's a simple formula. But Supercell took a different approach.

"If you go into exclusivity contracts with people, they kind of have to be nice to towards the game company they're working for”, explains Rick. “With us, we don't like doing that. We like the pure feedback that we're getting from creators and players because then we can make those honest changes."

This is the key difference. Supercell consciously forgoes exclusivity agreements to receive unfiltered feedback, even if it's negative.

"While some in the industry may take a transactional approach, we focus on fostering a true community", says Rick.

And this philosophy pays off. Creators don't just get paid - they become co-creators of the games.

CHAPTER 3. HOW CREATORS INFLUENCED SQUAD BUSTERS

In 2024, Supercell released Squad Busters, the studio's first major release in five years. The game went through several stages of closed beta testing. And at every stage, creators were involved in the process.

High-level creators were given direct access to the development team via Slack and Discord. In-person meetings were organized. And creators weren't shy about sharing what was working and what wasn't.

What they said:

• The battles are too similar, lacking variety.
• The game feels like a battle royale, but lacks control over attacks.
• Squad Busters is difficult to create content for - too much randomness.

What Supercell did:

• Added modifiers before each match to make each game unique.
• Reworked the balance, emphasizing survival rather than eliminating all opponents.
• Adapted the design to a "YouTuber-friendly" format.

“We deeply admire content creators for the immense effort they put into their work,” says Rick Crane. “For us, increased discussions about our products yield better results across all games.”

CHAPTER 4. CREATOR ACADEMY: A SCHOOL FOR CONTENT CREATORS

In June 2023, Supercell launched Creator Academy, a free educational platform.

This 8-week program (available in person and virtually) offers modules on content creation, community building, and platform strategy. YouTube analytics, working with algorithms, and creating engaging videos - all of this is now accessible even to beginner creators.

“We here at Supercell want to provide creators with the tools and knowledge to help them grow their channels which can help those who use our services to become full time content creators.” Rick wrote on LinkedIn.

The video library is updated weekly. Quizzes have been added to test your understanding. Two live streams are held per month. Supercell doesn't just give creators money - it gives them a profession.

CHAPTER 5. CREATORS 2.0: HOW THE PROGRAM WAS TRANSFORMED INTO AN RPG

In February 2026, Supercell announced a radical update to the program - Creators 2.0. The release took place on March 2, 2026.

"Creators 2.0 is built around one key idea: progression," the announcement began. The old system with vague levels (User → Official → Super) is gone. In its place is a transparent four-level structure:

The requirements for each level are now clear and achievable. And, importantly, they are now tied not only to audience size but also to activity.

"Little creators who actively complete quests and participate in seasons will be able to progress," the announcement states. This addresses the main criticism of old affiliate programs: "We only need top bloggers."

CHAPTER 6. SEASONS AND QUESTS: A GAME WITHIN A GAME

Creators 2.0 introduces monthly seasons. They update on the first Monday of each month. Each creator receives personalized goals tailored to their channel size, activity, and growth trajectory.

"The system meets you where you are. Whether you're just starting out or already established, your path is built around improving from your current level."

During a season, XP is earned through two types of quests:

1. Season Quests - focused on long-term channel growth:

• Increasing views
• Increasing watch time
• Upload consistency
• Audience expansion
• Completing Academy modules

These quests reinforce habits that lead to real growth. Not just "more content," but "better content."

2. Featured Quests - tied to major updates, campaigns, or key events. They give more XP and encourage content creation around important newsworthy events. It's a marketing ploy: when a new update comes out, Supercell adds Featured Quest, and thousands of creators start making content specifically for it.

CHAPTER 7. LOOT BUDDY: THE MAIN INNOVATION

The heart of Creators 2.0 is the Loot Buddy system. By completing quests, creators earn XP. Once they have accumulated enough XP, they level up and unlock a lootkey for their chosen game. Lootkeys are available for all global Supercell games.

Lootkeys are in-game items that creators can give away to their viewers.

Here's how it works at different levels:

Each key has upgrade levels (from ⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐). Activating a Loot Buddy has a chance to level up and receive better rewards. Key rewards vary from game to game, but the logic is the same: the higher the creator's level and the rarity of the key, the more generous the reward for their viewers.

"For example, a Clash Royale Common Lootkey ⭐ can grant 5 Magic Lucky Chests, while an Epic Lootkey ⭐ grants 15 such chests."

Why it's brilliant:

• The creator gets a tool for interacting with the audience - viewers come for the giveaways.
• Viewers receive real in-game value.
• Supercell gains player retention and content at the same time.
• The company doesn't spend additional budgets - keys are digital assets.

For every 10 completed quests, the creator also receives a free Season Pass for their game.

CHAPTER 8. FIRST RESULTS: WHAT THE FRESH START SEASON SHOWED

The first season, called Fresh Start, began on March 2, 2026, and concluded on April 6. The numbers Rick shared are impressive:

• 122,000+ quests completed by creators during the season
• 16,000+ new creators joined the program

Let's do the math:

• 122,000 quests in ~35 days = ~3,500 quests per day
• 16,000 new participants in 35 days = ~450 people per day

These aren't just statistics. They're proof that gamification works. In traditional affiliate programs, typically less than 10% of registered users complete any actions. Here, there are thousands of quests every day. And this is just the beginning.

CHAPTER 9. WHAT'S NEXT: TOURNAMENTS, MERCH, AND AMBITIOUS PLANS

Supercell isn't resting on its laurels. The Creators 2.0 June 2026 Season added Clash Royale Tournaments, a system allowing creators to host their own tournaments. Early results were described as "incredibly exciting." Similar systems may appear in other Supercell games in the future.

The company is also working on bringing back physical merchandise for creators.

"We have a backlog full of ambitious features we want to implement for creators in the future."

CONCLUSION

Supercell didn't buy creator loyalty with exclusive contracts. Instead, the company focused on transparency, education, and long-term relationships.

Rick Crane, who leads the program, explains this choice simply: "If you give people exclusive contracts, they're forced to be nice to the game company they work for. We don't like to do that. We like to get honest feedback from creators and players because then we can make honest decisions."

And this philosophy works. Creators don't just receive a percentage of creator code sales - they get early access to builds, the ability to communicate directly with developers via Discord and Slack, and influence the final design of games. As the Squad Busters example demonstrated, feedback from content creators helped add modifiers to matches, rebalance, and make the game more friendly to video creators.

In 2023, Supercell launched Creator Academy, a free educational platform with video tutorials, quizzes, and live streams. The entry threshold was lowered to 100 subscribers on YouTube, 25 on Twitch, or 1,000 on TikTok to access the Academy.

And in March 2026, Supercell took the next step: Creators 2.0. The vague levels were replaced by a transparent four-tier structure (Creator → Verified Creator → Trusted Creator → Super Creator). The static system was replaced by monthly seasons with personalized quests for channel growth. Elixir points were replaced by XP and a Loot Buddy, allowing creators to give away in-game items to their viewers.

The first season, called Fresh Start, launched on March 2, 2026, yielded over 122,000 completed quests and over 16,000 new creators joining the program in just one month.

Supercell has built more than just an influencer program. It has created an ecosystem where creators grow professionally, influence products, and earn money. The company, in turn, gains a dedicated community, honest feedback, and content that attracts millions of players.

“The creators win because they're growing their business. If they make their own business out of this, I see that as a massive win.” says Rick.

IT APPEARS THIS VICTORY IS JUST BEGINNING