Finnish game studio Supercell will launch Clash Royale and Brawl Stars as installation-free mini games on Tencent’s WeChat platform, aiming for smoother access and play.

Brawl Stars is currently available on WeChat, while Clash Royale is expected to debut on WeChat in September 2025, with progress syncing for current players and simplified onboarding for new ones.

WeChat’s mini-game feature, launched in 2018, now attracts 500 million monthly users, with over 300 games surpassing US$1.4 million in quarterly sales.

The move deepens Supercell’s ties with Tencent, which acquired 84% of the company in 2016 and previously integrated its games into Tencent platforms like QQ.

Tencent’s gaming revenue jumped 23% in Q1 2025, fueled by hits like Brawl Stars and PUBG Mobile, and bolstered by global investments in studios such as Riot and Epic Games.

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🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ The evolving Tencent-Supercell partnership demonstrates strategic patience

This WeChat mini-game integration comes eight years after Tencent’s initial acquisition of Supercell for $8.6 billion in 2016 1.

When Tencent first acquired its 84% stake, it specifically structured the deal to maintain Supercell’s operational independence and preserve its unique “cell” structure of small, independent teams 2.

This approach has paid dividends, as Supercell’s games continue to drive significant revenue growth for Tencent, with the company’s first-quarter gaming revenue jumping 23% largely due to titles like Brawl Stars and Clash Royale 3.

The current integration represents a careful evolution of Supercell’s successful formula, showing how Tencent’s strategic patience with its gaming acquisitions differs from more aggressive post-acquisition integration approaches seen elsewhere in the industry.

2️⃣ Mini games represent a massive but underappreciated gaming segment in China

The mini game market in China is projected to reach approximately 42-60 billion yuan ($6-8.4 billion) in 2024, representing nearly one-fifth of China’s entire gaming market 4.

WeChat’s mini game platform has amassed 500 million monthly active users since its 2018 launch, creating an ecosystem where over 300 mini games achieve quarterly sales exceeding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) each.

The appeal of mini games stems from their lightweight nature and low development costs—some can be produced in just days—which has attracted over 400,000 developers to the WeChat platform alone 5.

This trend highlights how casual, installation-free gaming experiences are capturing significant market share in China through platforms like WeChat, creating a parallel gaming ecosystem that complements traditional app store distribution.

3️⃣ Tencent leverages cross-platform synergies across its gaming portfolio

Tencent has systematically built a global gaming portfolio through strategic investments, including Supercell, a 40% stake in Epic Games (Fortnite), and full ownership of Riot Games (League of Legends).

This portfolio approach has established Tencent as the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue, with its gaming division generating approximately $45 billion in 2022 6.

By integrating Supercell’s titles into WeChat, Tencent is extending its strategy of creating synergies between its gaming investments and social platforms, similar to the 2016 integration of Clash Royale with WeChat and QQ login systems.

This cross-platform approach allows Tencent to maximize user engagement and revenue across its ecosystem while overcoming the challenges of China’s gaming regulations, which have created uncertainty but also opportunities as evidenced by the record number of new game licenses approved in 2023 7.

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