INTRODUCTION

Every June, major companies around the world change their social media profile pictures to rainbow versions, release themed posts, and declare their support for the LGBTQ+ community. In July, everything returns to normal until next year. This phenomenon has become so widespread that it has its own name - rainbow washing - and attitudes toward it are mixed, even among those it targets.

Against this backdrop, Supercell's story takes a slightly different turn. The Finnish developer of mobile games isn't just changing its profile picture: since 2022, the company, along with several other Finnish studios, has been systematically participating in Helsinki Pride, one of the country's largest public events. For four years in a row, the company has been expanding its formats and increasing its level of partnership.

This article is an attempt to understand how this participation works, what lies behind it, and how it is perceived. Without judgment, simply facts, context, and questions to which each reader will have their own answers.

Who Is Supercell and Why Is It Important?

I don't think there's any need to explain who Supercell is, but we'll cover it anyway just in case. Supercell is a Finnish mobile game development company founded in Helsinki in 2010. Over the past decade and a half, it has released several global hits: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Boom Beach, Brawl Stars, Hay Day, Squad Busters, and mo.сo. As of 2025, the company's revenue was approximately €2.65 billion, and its headcount exceeded 890.

Supercell has been majority-owned by China's Tencent since 2016. However, the company maintains significant operational independence and is based in Helsinki. This context is important: Finland and China hold very different positions on LGBTQ+ rights, a fact that periodically surfaces in discussions surrounding the company's initiatives.

The majority of the company's employees are based in Helsinki, and more than half of them are international. In total, over 45 nationalities are represented on the team. Supercell openly states that it views team diversity not just as an ethical stance but also as a working tool.

"We want to create global games for diverse players. Multiculturalism and diversity are part of everything we do. Interacting with colleagues from different backgrounds is important business-wise, but it also enriches our lives and makes our work more interesting. We have seen that diversity makes our teams better."

— Ilkka Paananen, CEO Supercell

How Did It Start In 2022?

In June 2022, Supercell, along with three other Finnish studios - Metacore, Next Games, and the nonprofit We In Games - published a joint statement announcing the Better Games Together initiative. The official statement was:

"We want our companies to be workplaces where everyone can feel heard, valued, supported, and celebrated, as they are."

There was no external trigger or scandal that forced the companies to take action. Judging by the official materials, the initiative grew internally: after listening to their LGBTQ+ employees, the companies decided that participating in Helsinki Pride was a step in the right direction. In July of that year, the initiative made its debut: a joint truck bearing the logos of all participating companies and several hundred employees marched in Helsinki Pride Month.

Context is important. Finland has legalized same-sex marriage since 2017, and by then, Helsinki Pride was already one of the country's largest urban events. In 2025, over 100,000 people took part in the parade. The participation of major employers was not seen as something unusual there; rather, it was considered standard practice.

Better Games Together: How the Association Works

Better Games Together is more than just a joint publication. It's a structured collective of several companies that act as a single entity: sharing budgets, hosting joint events, and speaking out in a unified voice to the Helsinki Pride organizers.

At its founding, it included Metacore, Next Games, Supercell, and the non-profit We In Games. In 2023, Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds, joined. By 2023, the association encompassed five organizations.

In its initial statement, the collective outlined two axes of work: internal - creating an inclusive environment within each company - and external - shaping a more open culture throughout the Finnish games industry.

What Exactly Happened Each Year?

2022

The collective is founded and first participates in Helsinki Pride month. A shared truck, several hundred employees in the convoy.

2023

Rovio joins Better Games Together. A Pride Youth Evening is held: a group of LGBTQ+ youth from different parts of Helsinki participates in a tabletop game jam with developers from participating companies. In the spring, an educational training session for all employees of the association with a Helsinki Pride representative covers the history of LGBTQ+ rights in Finland and practices for creating a safe work environment. The collective is present for the first time at Helsinki Pride House, a space for discussions and cultural events during Pride Week.

2024

Better Games Together becomes the official Community Partner of Helsinki Pride. The collective publicly articulates its mission: "We have united because we believe that change towards greater inclusivity must occur across the entire industry, not just within individual companies."

2025

Marks the fourth consecutive year of participation. Helsinki Pride's theme is "Pride Without Borders". Supercell attributed this slogan to its team, where more than half of its Helsinki employees are international. Pride month took place on June 28.

"At Helsinki Pride Community, we defend these values and recognize no borders or boundaries when it comes to human rights - they belong to everyone."

Why Supercell?

Here, let's be honest about several motives - they aren't mutually exclusive.

The first is personnel. Competition for developers in the gaming industry is fierce. A visible stance on inclusivity influences whether certain professionals want to work there. This is especially true for Western European and American employees, for whom an employer's DEI policy can be significant when choosing a position.

The second is reputational within the industry. In recent years, the gaming industry has been actively discussing issues of toxic work culture, harassment, and lack of diversity. A number of large companies have found themselves at the center of scandals precisely because of this. A public stance on inclusivity is a preventative measure: it sends a signal to both current and potential employees.

The third is indirectly marketing. Hundreds of millions of people play Supercell's games. A company associated with openness is closer to a segment of the younger audience for whom these values ​​are important.

The fourth - and the company itself calls it this - is simply a stance. Supercell directly links diversity to product quality: its commitment to inclusivity, according to management, brings the company closer to its goal of creating the best games for a global audience.

Is Reputation Being Damaged?

Well… it depends on who.

Among some audiences, yes, there is a certain reaction. Comments on such initiatives regularly include people who perceive corporate participation in Pride as an attempt to impose a political position through games or as a marketing ploy without any real substance. This phenomenon has been dubbed "rainbow capitalism" - when companies use Pride symbols to create the image of a progressive brand without making any significant changes internally.

There's also a more specific vulnerability: Supercell is 51% owned by China's Tencent. China is a country where LGBTQ+ issues are significantly restricted in the public sphere. Meanwhile, Supercell's games are present in numerous markets with varying legislation, and the company hasn't conducted similar campaigns in any of them. This discrepancy between its position within Finland and its silence in other markets is one of the most common arguments raised by skeptics.

On the other hand, in terms of employer reputation in Western countries, participation in Pride is actually a positive: the company attracts positive attention as a place where people want to work.

Why Has This Been Going on for Several Years in a Row?

This is perhaps one of the most telling facts. A one-off initiative is easy. Four years in a row, with expanding formats and the number of partners, is already a system.

In their first statement for 2022, the companies themselves acknowledged that there was still much work to be done, but emphasized that this was the beginning of a long-term collaboration. Judging by what has happened since - the addition of educational programs, youth events, and official partnerships - the initiative hasn't stalled, as often happens with corporate promises.

Why? Probably because there are people within the company for whom this is personally important, and they continue to push it forward. And management - including CEO Ilkka Paananen, who publicly speaks about the importance of diversity - hasn't stopped.

2026: What's Known and What to Expect

The honest answer regarding 2026 is this: at the time of writing, there is no official confirmation of Supercell and Better Games Together's participation in Helsinki Pride 2026.

It is known that Helsinki Pride Week 2026 will take place from June 22 to 28, with the final month scheduled for June 27. The year's theme is "Growing with Pride", focusing on the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. The announced main partners for Helsinki Pride 2026 are Bauer Media, Dottir, Forum, the City of Helsinki, Lidl, Miltton, and Strawberry; Supercell is not on this list. However, this is a list of main partners: in previous years, Supercell participated as a Community Partner, not as a Top Sponsor.

Based on the logic of recent years, the reasons for participation remain the same. The Better Games Together collective exists, funding hasn't been cut, and the team hasn't disbanded. The pattern is consistent: every year, an official publication appears in May, followed by photographs from the month at the end of June. There's no indication that anything will change in 2026. But until an official announcement, this remains a prediction, not a fact.

CONCLUSION

The story of Supercell and Pride Month is, in a sense, a story about how corporate decisions exist in several realities simultaneously.

In the reality of the Finnish labor market, this is a normal practice for a large employer. In the reality of the global gaming audience, it is a politically charged gesture, perceived by some as support, and by others as an imposition of a position. In the reality of the company itself - at least according to official statements - it is a continuation of a conversation started with its own employees.

It is safe to say that Supercell has made a choice that is easily noticeable, easily measured over time, and easily compared to what others are doing. It is up to each reader to decide what to do with this knowledge.

SOURCES

This article was written based on the official sources listed below. For more in-depth information, please follow the links below:

1. Supercell. "Better Games Together." — supercell.com, June 10, 2022. https://supercell.com/en/news/better-games-together/
2. Supercell. "Better Games Together: One Year on and Going Strong." — supercell.com, May 3, 2023. https://supercell.com/en/news/better-games-together-2023/
3. Supercell. "Four Years of Unity and Community: Better Games Together Continues Supporting Helsinki Pride." — supercell.com, May 7, 2025. https://supercell.com/en/news/helsinki-pride-2025/
4. Metacore. "Better Games Together." — metacoregames.com, June 10, 2022. https://metacoregames.com/news/better-games-together
5. Metacore. "Four Years of Unity and Community: Better Games Together Continues Supporting Helsinki Pride." — metacoregames.com, 2025. https://metacoregames.com/news/four-years-of-unity-and-community-better-games-together-continues-supporting-helsinki-pride
6. Helsinki Pride. "Helsinki Pride 2026." — pride.fi. https://pride.fi/en/helsinki-pride-2026/
7. Helsinki Pride. "Helsinki Pride Community's Main Partners for 2026." — pride.fi, April 2026. https://pride.fi/pride-media/helsinki-pride-yhteison-vuoden-2026-paayhteistyokumppanit/
8. Helsinki Pride. "Helsinki Pride 2026 Makes History: Finland's First Accessible Parade Truck and Programme." — sttinfo.fi, 2026. https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/72039307/helsinki-pride-2026-tekee-historiaa-suomen-ensimmainen-esteeton-kulkuerekka-ja-ohjelmisto
9. This is Finland. "CEO of Finland's Supercell Believes in Work-Life Balance and an International Workforce." — finland.fi. https://finland.fi/business-innovation/ceo-of-finlands-supercell-believes-in-work-life-balance-and-an-international-workforce/
10. Game Makers of Finland. "Helsinki Pride Week." — peliala.fi, 2026. https://www.peliala.fi/tapahtumat/helsinki-pride-viikko/
11. Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. Myöhänen, Taina. "Embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity in the Games Industry." — coe-gamecult.org, March 21, 2023. https://coe-gamecult.org/2023/03/21/embracing-diversity-equity-and-inclusivity-in-the-games-industry/
12. Supercell. Post on X (Twitter), June 28, 2025. https://x.com/supercell/status/1938137643071553810
13. Supercell. Company page on LinkedIn. — fi.linkedin.com. https://fi.linkedin.com/company/supercell