Supercell’s AI ambitions, Clash of Clans gets a Netflix series, and Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1bn | Week in Views

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The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can’t let go of…

So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we’ve created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.

Supercell expands AI Innovation Lab to San Francisco

Supercell has a lot on its books at the moment with new games, the Spark program, its investments arm, transmedia efforts, and pretty much everything else.

But its favourite trend right now looks like AI and its practical uses in development. CEO Ilkka Paananen has been particularly bullish on social media about it, with the company hosting an AI Innovation Lab in Helsinki.

Now it’s opening a new space in San Francisco and hiring for an AI Innovation Lab Program Leader.

Supercell arguably got stuck in its ways following early success, with a steadfast refusal to expand its live ops teams even when games like Brawl Stars might have demanded it. It’s now rectified that to great success for that title, at least.

When it comes to AI, Supercell looks to be embracing the tech’s potential wholeheartedly. Last year it also recruited Otto Söderlund as its AI lead.

Generative AI tools are already being used to great effect on user acquisition campaigns. I’m curious to see where Supercell takes the tech and what that looks like over the coming years. If a company that has created five $1 billion+ hits is harnessing these tools, it’s worth taking notice.

For a taste of what developers are doing right now, check out this video from Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco, in which fellow Finnish developer Rovio opens up on its use of AI for art and marketing.

CLASH: A Clash of Clans Netflix show is now in pre-production

Clash of Clans is coming to Netflix! Not the game, but an animated series simply called Clash. The series has already been green-lit and is in pre-production. 

Netflix, of course, is no stranger to video game adaptations on its service. We’ve seen the likes of Arcane, The Witcher, Castlevania, and Devil May Cry, the list just keeps growing – and will continue to do so with multiple game-related projects expected to come to the platform. 

As for Clash, the game has been around for over a decade, so it makes sense for Netflix that a series based on the IP would already have a following, and it’s an exciting endeavour for Supercell to expand beyond games.

I suppose the question is, can a mobile game that isn’t story-driven make a great animated TV series? It has the likes of Ron Weiner, who has been confirmed as head writer and has worked on the likes of Futurama, so it certainly has a shot. 

With the right execution, this could be a fun expansion of the Clash of Clans universe. I do wonder, with the potential to create whatever stories they like from the core Clash of Clans concept, will it be a one-season thing or something more?

Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses $1bn in just over 200 days

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has surpassed $1 billion in gross player spending in just 204 days, according to AppMagic estimates.

Let me say that again: $1bn in 204 days.

At this point, calling TCG Pocket a hit feels like an understatement, having thunderbolted its way into the unicorn club in under seven months and keeping momentum high with monthly new pack expansions ensuring frequent revenue spikes, at least thus far.

In fact, Pokémon Pocket has even outpaced Go on its way to the $1bn club – arriving 78 days faster than the AR giant did back in the day. And for further industry context, Pocket has also beaten mobile titan Monopoly Go to the club by 14 days, but hasn’t arrived quite as quickly as HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact.

Of course, this is all on an estimated player spending basis, so doesn’t include any other deals or earnings these games may have made elsewhere. But even so, any game making $1bn in just over half a year is worth shouting about. Or writing about, in this case.

Now, I’m off to go and open my next pack.