With the launch of Flood Rush, and now Squad Busters, Supercell has dropped two new titles into soft launch back to back.
Flood Rush was perhaps the biggest surprise as it had been teased the least. While Squad Busters has been in the works for a while, Flood Rush was only leaked a few days before it was released into soft launch on iOS and Android in a number of countries. Squad Busters is now in its second beta, while Flood Rush has only just entered its first. Busters has the benefit of being a crossover title, featuring characters from many of Supercell’s iconic titles, while Flood Rush is seemingly an entirely new setting.
Either could become Supercell’s next big game, at least the developer will hope so. But that’s if they meet the high standards Supercell sets for itself.
Two games enter, one game leaves
So why does it matter? Well, for one, because Supercell have a notoriously ruthless – or some might say, realist – approach to their catalogue. The developer is always looking for its next big hit, on the same level as Clash of Clans, Hay Day or Boom Beach. But, what about those games that don’t meet expectations?
Well, it’s simple, they get cut out. Boom Beach Frontlines, Clash Quest, Everdale, there’s a long list of titles that simply weren’t up to snuff. And if you take a step back, it makes sense. Unlike other companies Supercell doesn’t concentrate on building a massive portfolio of games, but on creating massive mega-hits.
Of course, unlike some developers such as Rovio – who focus mainly on their Angry Birds franchise – Supercell is still creating new games. Small teams, in ‘cells’ will work on titles like Flood Rush and Squad Busters, and many of these games do develop a loyal following. However, unless they show the potential to be hits, then rather than spread themselves too thin, Supercell are content to halt development and move their team onto newer (and hopefully) better things.
It’s an unusual approach, but one that Supercell have been transparent about in the past. The studio is always looking to create their next big game, and it seems that when it comes to saving resources, some titles have to end up discontinued.
Fortunately, not all the games that Supercell eventually axes end up stuck in the vault. As Metacore, creators of Merge Mansion, recently purchased discontinued title Everdale for an undisclosed sum.
