Squad Busters releases worldwide tomorrow… But will it REALLY be the next big thing? | Pocket Gamer.biz

Supercell’s “Squad Busters” has already been released the a hot topic in recent weeks, since the program premiered in April (or maybe even earlier). Now the soft launch period is coming to an end, with a global launch scheduled for tomorrow, May 29, 2024.

This is the first Supercell game in five years to make it this far – the studio has become synonymous with improving titles that it felt wouldn’t be successful enough in a full release setting.

How well did Squad Busters perform in pre-release? Why did this game, out of all Supercell games tested, get the green light?

Great strategy

Long story short, Squad Busters grossed: $2.04 million, according to AppMagic estimates. While that’s a far cry from Clash of Clans’ numbers ($79 million at the same time), it’s still quite a feat for a game that hasn’t been fully released yet.

These analytics also indicate that 5.25 million people have already downloaded Squad Busters, while Supercell has confirmed over 30 million pre-registrations for the global version so far. Pre-registration is tactfully encouraged with the promise of rewards not only in Squad Busters, but also in pre-determined Supercell titles. The more people who sign up for Squad Busters, the bigger these rewards will be.

Supercell is targeting 40 million pre-registrations – the same as HoYoverse’s upcoming Zenless Zone Zero – and the games expected to benefit from this include all of Supercell’s fully released, active games: Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Boom Beach, Clash Royale and Hay Day. Plus, of course, Squad Busters.

Straight home

Having surpassed 30 million pre-registrations, Squad Busters rewards now include 10,000 coins, El Tigre, three chests and an exclusive emote. If 40 million is reached by tomorrow, players will also receive an exclusive badge. And this decoration will also appear in all other games supported by the promotion – this is another advertising impulse.

Of the territories included in the free launch, Squad Busters’ largest audience is Mexico, representing 44% of downloads. 29% of players come from Spain and 11% from Canada. However, the latter is currently the biggest spender – as of April 24, Canadian players account for 29% of earnings (approximately $600,000).

Matching the download ranking, Spain ranks second during the soft launch period, generating 26% of earnings (approximately $530,000), while Mexico ranks third with just 17% (approximately $350,000).

Squad Busters has also sourced spare change from Singapore, Finland, Sweden and the United States, but now that it’s on the verge of a full launch, Supercell has roped in an all-star cast for another promotional push. From Ken Jeong to Chris Hemsworth, it seems like almost everyone is getting ready to play.

---

This article is part of our Road to Helsinki series, where we spotlight the Finnish and Nordic gaming industry ahead of the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki event on October 1 and 2.