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IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

I built a culture at Supercell where only the best ideas survive, leading to the early termination of most projects to focus on true breakthroughs.

Video

as

CEO of Supercell on the Harsh Truth About Game Development

@ a16z speedrun

CEO of Supercell on the Harsh Truth About Game Development

04/03/25

Related Takeaways

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

We aim high at Supercell, often shooting for the moon, knowing that we will likely fail most of the time, but that's part of our core philosophy.

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

Supercell's approach to innovation involves disrupting themselves to stay ahead of competitors, ensuring they continue to create unique gaming experiences.

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

Supercell has a reputation for killing around 90% of the games they develop, which is a strategic choice to maintain high product quality.

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

The fundamental belief at Supercell is that the team working on a game fully owns and controls what they do, free from external interference.

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

The failure of a Facebook game led Supercell to rethink their approach, ultimately resulting in the creation of Clash of Clans.

IP

Ilkka Paananen

04/03/25

@ a16z speedrun

Supercell aims to create games that are remembered for years, contrasting with the trend of casual games being seen as short-lived 'snack entertainment'.

AJ

Amy Jo Kim

12/30/20

@ Garry Tan

I synthesized what I learned from best practices into a system called 'game thinking' to help startups, global brands, and game studios innovate and find product-market fit.

PC

Paul Copplestone

05/14/25

@ Accel

I realized that it doesn't matter what you start; it matters what you finish, so I focused on helping founders launch quickly to iterate effectively.

SA

Sam Altman

04/15/24

@ 20VC with Harry Stebbings

I try to keep a team where great ideas can come from unexpected places, not just from the most experienced members.