Squad Bustersโ original thesis has been falsified.
๐ฆ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฎ.๐ฌ & ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ซโ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฏ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐
Squad Bustersโ original thesis has been falsified. What once seemed like KPI paradise: hypercasual-esque core, aggregating Supercellโs beloved IPs ร la Super Smash Bros., and infinite consumable-based monetization with zero marginal cost, is now unrecognizable.ย ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ช๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ!
Yet, just a year later, the hypercasual core has vanished, giving way to multiple player-activated abilities and completely removing consumables. Squad Buster 2.0 attempts to simplify nagging launch criticisms, including combat readability, character UX, progression speed, agency out-of-round with unit selection, and agency in-round with abilities. It gets halfway there, but in solving some issues, surfaces others.
The original mechanics captured contemporary design zeitgeist: merging, star systems, in-round progression and economy, roguelike, consumables, hero collections, and mods. Itโs a system designerโs dream, but itโs spun the game into a series of interlocking parts. It lacked the iterative clarity evident in SpaceXโs Raptor 3 engine (see below), illustrating the ideal design process of stripping complexity to reveal elegant simplicity. While 2.0 reaches for this goal, intertwined elements complicate straightforward refinement.
For example, stomping out an opposing player is easier: simply kill the hero unit. But this means opposing squads sit their squad atop yours, negating the reduction in total units to help combat readability. The two new units spawn with Hero units, helping speed up in-round progression, meaning faster combat, but also a more frenzied reminder that the game lacks any comeback mechanics. โSquaddieโ UX is far simpler: opening an in-round chest emphasizes the single ability addition of the character to the squad. Yet, this reminds players how mundane abilities are, with few conditional passives, limiting how squad choice in-round finally changes strategic gameplay. Theory crafting remains a sore spot, particularly for a game about amassing roguelike abilities.
Squad Busters languishes beneath Supercellโs smallest title, Hay Day, and the gap widens. Last week, Hay Day generated $4.4M, while Squad Busters came off as a rounding error at $.4M. Its survival hinges less on issues like monetization or retention, and more fundamentally on a core something worth saving.
Squad Busters was set to catapult Supercell into a record-breaking year and trailblaze the path toward an IPO. Instead, itโs fought for its life, becoming a litmus test for Supercellโs Next Chapter. Weakness hides in numbers, and as Supercell scales and vested interests around resourcing increase, killing ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ games with a funeral and champagne (actually) becomes more fraught. Ultimately, Squad Busters 2.0 finds a clearer identity but fails to prove it’s a compelling identity.
