Supercell

In two thousand ten, Paananen founded Supercell with radical constraint. Most studios scaled headcount with revenue. Paananen capped teams at fifteen. Fewer people meant fewer meetings, fewer politics. Fifteen shipped updates in days while three hundred-person studios required weeks. Dead weight couldn't hide. Each game had specific targets. If a game failed within a window, the team killed it. Supercell shipped twelve games. Eight were shuttered. The four survivors generated billions. Clash of Clans alone generated over one billion dollars annually. Brutal honesty forced ruthless selection. Constraint forces clarity. When you cannot add people, you cannot avoid questions about what matters.