Clash of Clans
GameBy Supercell · Released Aug 2, 2012
Documents about Clash of Clans
What Does It Take to Successfully Implement a Battle Pass?
The digital conference titled All About Battle Pass serves as a comprehensive resource for game developers and product managers seeking to optimize the implementation of battle pass systems.
- Successful Battle Pass implementation requires balancing engagement features with monetization strategies, as evidenced by effective models in Miniclip's 8-ball Pool and Supercell's Clash of Clans.
- Battle Pass systems often fail when they do not effectively bridge the gap between player engagement and revenue generation.
- The 'All About Battle Pass' digital conference held in June 2020 featured expert analysis on design, product strategy, and monetization from industry leaders at companies including Scopely and Social Point.
Clash Royale Crosses $3 Billion in Lifetime Player Spending
Supercell’s real-time strategy title, Clash Royale, surpassed $3 billion in lifetime player spending as of July 2020, just over four years after its global launch in March 2016.
- Clash Royale surpassed $3 billion in lifetime player spending just over four years after its March 2016 global launch.
- The United States is the top revenue-generating market for the game, contributing $925.4 million or 30.8% of total lifetime spending.
- The App Store accounts for 52.4% of total revenue ($1.6 billion), while Google Play accounts for 47.6% ($1.4 billion).
Battle Pass | Supercell's Tale of 2 Cities: Clash of Clans vs. Clash Royale
The implementation of Battle Passes within the mobile gaming sector reveals that monetization success is inextricably linked to the underlying economic architecture of a title.
- A Battle Pass's effectiveness is determined by the game's underlying economic architecture rather than being a universal engagement tool.
- Clash of Clans successfully leverages a deep, scalable economy that requires constant investment across a broad spectrum of units, maintaining high Battle Pass value.
- Clash Royale’s rigid, card-based progression limits players to mastering a single deck, which reduces the perceived value of collecting new items through a Battle Pass.
Battle Pass Economies: Clash of Clans vs Clash Royale
The analysis examines the efficacy of battle pass monetization models within the mobile gaming industry, specifically contrasting the implementation strategies of Supercell’s Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.
- Battle pass implementation success depends on the game's underlying economy, as evidenced by the divergent results of the feature in Supercell's Clash of Clans versus Clash Royale.
- Clash of Clans successfully utilized a battle pass because its resource-depletion economy allows for multiple, effective currency sinks that integrate naturally with the pass.
- Clash Royale’s battle pass failed to be revenue accretive because the game's gacha-based collection depth caps out relatively quickly, leading to cannibalization of direct store sales.
10 Years of Excellence: Deconstruction of Supercell
Supercell stands as a titan of the mobile gaming industry, having generated over $12 billion in revenue through a portfolio of genre-defining titles.
- Supercell has generated $12 billion in total gross revenue over six years, with four of its titles—Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars—each surpassing $1 billion in lifetime revenue.
- Clash of Clans remains a dominant revenue driver, maintaining a position in the top 10 grossing charts since 2012 and generating approximately $1 billion in 2019.
- Supercell’s organizational strategy relies on small, autonomous teams that prioritize long-term game quality over financial targets, allowing them to kill underperforming projects like Rush Wars without bureaucratic friction.
Clash of Clans: Bigger, Better, Battle Pass
Clash of Clans achieved a significant resurgence by systematically addressing long-standing progression bottlenecks and economic stagnation that had hindered player retention.
- The introduction of a five-dollar monthly Gold Pass served as the primary catalyst for a 30 percent year-over-year revenue increase and quadrupled the unique payer base.
- The Gold Pass model achieved high sustainability, maintaining a 70 percent monthly retention rate among its subscribers.
- Developers revitalized the game by spending two years refining foundational systems, specifically reducing upgrade costs and times while introducing magic items to eliminate progression bottlenecks.
Video Game Cannibalization: What the Experts Get Wrong
The prevailing industry belief that launching new titles within an existing portfolio inevitably cannibalizes the revenue of established hits is often flawed and lacks necessary situational context.
- Industry experts often incorrectly assume that new games using existing IP or lower monetization models will automatically cannibalize the revenue of a studio's successful flagship titles.
- Cannibalization analysis must distinguish between short-term revenue shifts and long-term portfolio sustainability, such as player retention, brand expansion, and blocking competitors.
- Historical data suggests Clash Royale did not cause a net negative impact on Clash of Clans revenue, as the latter was already in decline due to external competition and market shifts prior to the 2016 launch.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: January 2020
The mobile gaming landscape in January 2020 was characterized by significant revenue growth, driven largely by the influence of the Chinese market.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game globally in January 2020, generating $176.3 million, nearly four times its revenue from January 2019.
- Honor of Kings ranked second with $151.3 million in gross revenue, marking a 25 percent year-over-year increase.
- Lilith Games' AFK Arena experienced a significant surge to $88.3 million in revenue following its launch in China, nearly tripling its previous monthly record of $31.2 million set in August 2019.
French Market Report: 2019
The French video game market achieved a total turnover of 4.8 billion euros in 2019, reflecting a mature and deeply integrated entertainment sector.
- The French video game market reached a total turnover of 4.8 billion euros in 2019, driven by strong software performance despite a contraction in hardware sales.
- Gaming is a mainstream activity in France, with 71 percent of the population participating and an average player age of 40.
- Mobile gaming is a primary engine for industry growth and engagement, led by titles such as Mario Kart Tour and Clash of Clans.
Our Analysts' Picks for Best Mobile Games of 2019
The mobile gaming landscape in 2019 was defined by the widespread adoption of battle pass monetization, the integration of midcore features into casual titles, and the successful migration of major console intellectual properties to mobile platforms.
- The 'Battle Pass' model emerged as a dominant industry trend in 2019, with Clash of Clans successfully implementing 'Season Challenges' to drive significant engagement and revenue growth.
- Call of Duty: Mobile was the standout new release of 2019, achieving record-breaking launch performance with over 100 million downloads in its first week.
- Black Desert Mobile successfully bridged the gap for Western audiences by adapting the MMORPG genre with streamlined UI and combat mechanics, maintaining a top 200 grossing rank since its December 2019 launch.
Clash of Clans Grossed $727 Million in 2019
Supercell’s mobile strategy title, Clash of Clans, experienced a significant financial resurgence in 2019, generating $727 million in global revenue.
- Clash of Clans generated $727 million in global revenue in 2019, marking a 27% increase over the $572 million earned in 2018.
- The 2019 performance represents the first year-over-year revenue growth for the title since 2015.
- The introduction of the $4.99 monthly 'Gold Pass' in April 2019 was the primary driver for the revenue turnaround.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: December 2019
This analysis identifies the top-performing mobile games by worldwide gross revenue for December 2019, utilizing data from the Store Intelligence platform.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game in December 2019, generating over $148 million in revenue, a 4x increase compared to December 2018.
- Tencent’s Honor of Kings ranked second with approximately $139 million in gross revenue, reflecting 5% year-over-year growth.
- Roblox achieved its best month ever in December 2019, earning over $71 million in revenue—a 94% year-over-year increase—alongside a record 12 million unique installs.