“If a meteorite were to destroy Supercell in 2017, it would be a legendary company; if a meteorite were to destroy Supercell in 2021, it would be a company we’d regret losing; if a meteorite were to destroy Supercell in 2025, it would be a legendary meteorite.”
On March 2, 2026, *Clash Royale* celebrated the 10th anniversary of its global open beta. Today (March 9), the 10th-anniversary update for the Chinese server has officially launched. This long-standing tower defense mobile game, which debuted in 2016, experienced a dramatic resurgence in 2025, driving Supercell’s annual revenue to near-record levels.
This event, driven by creators like *Rainbow Six* streamer Jynxzi who invested their own money and passion to energize the entire community, should have been the perfect opportunity for *Clash Royale* to experience a resurgence and reclaim its global dominance. Instead, by the end of 2025, revenue had fallen by tens of millions of dollars month after month.CEO Ilkka Paananen even published a lengthy post on February 11, taking full responsibility for the decline himself and attributing it to the development team. After being lambasted by Jynxzi and the player community, he backtracked at lightning speed on February 13. In stark contrast, the Chinese server of *Clash Royale* has received widespread acclaim over the past few months. For the first time in history, public sentiment toward the two servers has taken a polar opposite turn.
On this 10th anniversary, let’s take a look back at how Supercell’s greed nearly destroyed the game once again, how the Chinese server team seized the opportunity to turn the tide, and whether the future of *Clash Royale* is still worth looking forward to.
01
The Dark Before Dawn
From January to May 2025, Clash Royale’s revenue remained sluggish, nearly falling behind Cartoon Farm, and the player community was quite pessimistic, feeling that the game had reached its end. This actually stems directly from lingering issues with updates from 2023 and 2024; the introduction of the Evolution system allowed the developers to find the most aggressive way to push in-app purchases,releasing 1–2 ultra-rare Evolution cards per season. Without purchasing the pass, players must save up six Magic Shards over three months to obtain them. However, by the time free players finally get their hands on these cards, they have already been nerfed. For paying players, the money spent may be "fake," but the rank gains over an entire season are very real—and it is the free-to-play players who suffer the consequences.
With player frustration already at a boiling point, the first major updates of 2025 even removed the Seasonal Store—where players could exchange Magic Wildcards and Magic Shards for free. The developers justified this by claiming that the store’s secondary UI design meant many players were unaware of its existence; however, after its removal, no alternative channels for obtaining these resources were provided, making the process of upgrading cards exceptionally tedious.Paying players weren’t spared either. The number of gems awarded through the Season Pass was slashed from 1,525 to just 225—a move that was simply baffling. Many casual and moderate spenders chose to quit the game. Rather than forcing players to spend more, these resource cuts only caused the conversion rate for in-app purchases to continue declining. It’s hard to imagine that such a self-destructive business strategy could ever turn things around, right?
02
A lifeline
On May 11, 2025, *Rainbow Six* streamer Jynxzi uploaded his first *Clash Royale* video. During a live stream, he faced off against a professional player and, after losing, decided to use his "money power" to max out the levels of all his cards. He then went on a 98-game winning streak, reaching the highest rank of 15,000 trophies.His exaggerated reactions, various pranks, and the absurdity of his "pay-to-win" strategy quickly went viral on TikTok, prompting many major streamers to start streaming "Clash Royale" as well.On September 6, 2025, he also streamed a match against Mr. Beast. The entire stream saw explosive viewership, directly attracting a massive audience of casual players, and many veteran players re-downloaded the game after watching the spectacle. Not only that, but Jynxzi also took the initiative to organize tournaments and community fan-created content contests, pouring a tremendous amount of effort into the game—he truly single-handedly revived the entire game.
The YouTube video titled "Why Everyone's Playing Clash Royale Again" provides a complete account of this incident.
In addition to the streamer effect, a prank video featuring the game card "Golem" went viral on TikTok on June 25, 2025.The video is shot from a player’s perspective. At first glance, it appears his opponent is using the classic “Speed Hog” deck, but after careful analysis, the player realizes his opponent has never played the “Golem” card. Just as the match enters the final minute of double Elixir, the opponent suddenly plays a Golem, instantly sweeping the player’s base.Players dubbed this tactic the "Deceitful Stone Golem"—forcing a Golem into any deck to infuriate opponents. The video garnered over 60 million views and more than 3 million likes, and memes featuring the Golem have been popping up nonstop ever since.
After Jynxzi and Stone Man’s prank videos sent the game’s popularity soaring, the developers capitalized on the momentum by releasing new cards, launching new events, and promoting the game through livestreams across various platforms. Thanks to these combined efforts, the number of new players surged by nearly 500%, and monthly revenue peaked at $74 million. But just when everyone thought *Clash Royale* was set to solidify its throne, the development team stepped in and dealt themselves a double blow.
03
Dig one's own grave
On November 24, 2025, the game’s level cap was raised again from Level 15 to Level 16. The Elite Wildcard, previously used for leveling up between Levels 14 and 15, was removed, as was the Grimoire, which allowed for direct card upgrades. Cards that had already reached the maximum level could still be drawn repeatedly,Rewards from 5-star chests were also significantly nerfed. Not only did this backstab veteran players who had previously maxed out their levels, but it also drastically increased the difficulty for new players to progress. The developers had previously promised that Level 15 would be the cap and that no new levels would be introduced. Even more absurdly, this update introduced four Elite cards that completely disrupted the game’s balance; for non-paying players, it would take 3–4 months to obtain them. Furthermore, the Awakening system—which had been continuously updated for two years—was abruptly shelved.Such blatant money-grabbing tactics quickly drew backlash from the player community. Jynxzi directly urged the developers during a livestream not to release this update, warning, “You’ll regret it.” But what was the result?AppMagic data shows that less than a week after this update went live, new player retention plummeted to an all-time low, daily active users among veteran players began to decline, and the game’s revenue dropped by tens of millions of dollars month after month. By February of this year, revenue had fallen to just $26 million, allowing *Brawl Stars* to overtake it. We’ve only ever seen games that rush to launch new events and perks to boost retention after new player numbers grow—we’ve never seen one that immediately cuts benefits and forces players to spend once the player base gets large enough.
Just as frustration was building within the community, on February 10, 2026, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen published a lengthy annual post celebrating the company’s historic success in 2025. He credited the game designers exclusively for reviving *Clash Royale*, without even mentioning the names of creators like Jynxzi,Mr. Beast—not even mentioning the names of these creators. He even claimed that the symbol of the game’s revival was an unclaimed Barbarian evolution card given away in early 2025, clearly demonstrating the team’s arrogance and self-importance.
Less than 24 hours after the article was published, Jynxzi reposted it and lashed out, causing public opinion to quickly escalate; as of now, the tweet has garnered 12 million views.
Meanwhile, in the comments section, Mr. Beast and countless other content creators and players stated that they would return to *Clash Royale* solely because of Jynxzi’s vigorous promotion of the game, and players launched a full-scale attack on the CEO and the development team.
Whether it was because he was scared off by the criticism or had a change of heart, the CEO updated his blog just two days later to apologize.
The update acknowledges that the contributions of creators like Jynxzi, professional players, and the broader player community have been decisive, and that player feedback will be taken more seriously moving forward.
Of course, an apology alone cannot undo the fact that *Clash Royale*’s revenue plummeted by 49.4% quarter-over-quarter in 2026. On February 20, the development team released an announcement addressing the issues that had drawn fierce criticism from players regarding the previous quarter’s update. The announcement included a free Elite card for all players, significantly reduced the difficulty of obtaining cards, brought back the Awakening system, drastically lowered the probability of drawing duplicate max-level cards, and increased the rewards for the free Season Pass.
They also announced the 10th-anniversary celebration rewards, including four new arenas, the chance to collect Memory Shards through daily activities to unlock the new Elite Archer for free, and other generous rewards. With the Global Championship making a comeback, it seems everything is back on track?
04
The Chinese Server's Comeback
In stark contrast to the international server’s greedy monetization tactics, the Chinese server of *Clash Royale*—while enjoying explosive popularity in 2025—chose a completely opposite path: it showered players with generous rewards, introduced innovative game modes, and quickly rolled out the latest content.Since the Chinese server became independent in 2022, the game’s popularity had been on a steady decline, with its few moments in the spotlight largely driven by negative news—such as arbitrary adjustments to game mechanics and the replacement of Skeletons with Tin Men due to censorship requirements. After a series of twists and turns, the Chinese version of Clash Royale has, for the first time in its history, surpassed the international version in public perception.
On April 2, 2025,Content creator Tamigao Ovo released a video titled “Rather Than Playing Clash Royale, Viewers Would Rather Watch Me Cook Spaghetti.” The video quickly went viral. On one hand, Clash Royale is already seen by casual observers as a niche game that no one cares about anymore. On the other hand, even veteran players who still stick with the game know deep down that the only reason they keep playing is because there’s nothing else on the market to replace it—but they never expected to be outdone by spaghetti. This stark contrast sparked a wave of the trend: “Rather than playing xxxx,viewers would rather watch me [do X]" trend.
Naturally, the Clash Royale team didn’t let this momentum slip by; they also launched a poll asking whether players would rather watch streamers play the game or see them cosplay. The response from the player community was overwhelming, and from that moment on, the team began to embrace more playful and interactive engagement with players, leading to much more frequent communication.
After the international server saw a surge in popularity in June, the Chinese server didn’t sit idly by; it quickly rolled out updates that benefited players and even doubled the gem rewards for the Season Pass.Following the launch of the new "Team Up" mode at the end of June, which attracted a wave of Auto Chess enthusiasts, the Chinese server’s popularity began to quietly rebound. In response, the developers released a mid-year report to players, acknowledging shortcomings and promising to better incorporate player feedback. To kick off the summer, they also offered a generous reward of four Awakening Cards, perfectly capturing players’ hearts.
At the end of August, the Chinese server officially launched the Supercell China Creator Program. A large number of content creators for Supercell games received their own codes; players who enter a creator’s code before making a purchase receive a 95% discount, while the creator earns 5% of the revenue.Additionally, players could claim three extra three-star chests. The official team had thoroughly hyped the code campaign in advance. On launch day, major streamers pulled out all the stops to encourage their fans to bind their codes. The tangible financial incentives greatly fueled creative enthusiasm, resulting in a flood of high-quality content and a thriving player community.
Viral fan creations
After various fan-created content goes viral, certain memes inevitably spread among the gaming community. For example, streamer Gao Zixiang likes to repeatedly send the “Goblin Taunt” emoji during matches while dubbing it with “Mimi-mi.” Thanks to the catchy sound and the entertaining effect it creates, it has gained widespread popularity.Viewers love to play off this meme in the comments sections of his videos, and his creator code is even “mimimi.” After noticing how much players loved this meme, the official team directly released a voice-over emoji exclusive to Gao Zixiang, creating a win-win-win situation for fans, the streamer, and the official team.
During the National Day holiday, the developers once again launched a promotion offering rewards on par with those of the summer event. By this point, the player base had already grown significantly due to the game’s massive popularity on international servers and the rise of fan-created content within the community. This promotion capitalized perfectly on the holiday to boost player retention.
By the time the global finals rolled around in late October, China was represented by the Frontier Guard team, who were competing in the tournament for the first time. The organizers launched a campaign titled “Cheer for the Frontier, Claim Massive Rewards.” Initially, the campaign was designed to determine player rewards based on the team’s final ranking, but the comments section was soon flooded with concerns that this might put undue pressure on the players and lead to unnecessary online harassment.The organizers responded promptly, stating that regardless of the team’s performance, all players would receive rewards equivalent to the championship prize tier, a decision that was met with widespread praise.
Following the release of the controversial update on the international server in late November, the Chinese server faced a dilemma: on one hand, a large number of players in the comments section were petitioning against the update,and on the other, the need to synchronize new content. The solution was to first roll out the international server’s content while offering generous in-game rewards, and to continuously monitor every player’s feedback on the new version. Ultimately, all players were given a free Awakening Card, and for every Level 15 hero they owned prior to the update, they received a free 1-star treasure chest. Given that the international server offered no compensation whatsoever, this move by the Chinese server minimized the sense of betrayal among veteran players,while new players gained access to Awakening Cards, which were previously scarce in the early game. The game successfully weathered this devastating blow.
In mid-December, the Chinese server launched its in-house mode "Mad Emperor Brawl." Although it experienced brief server crashes and critical bugs, players’ enthusiasm for the mode was palpable. Unlike traditional battles, every card in the selected exclusive pool possesses a special ability. While completely unbalanced, the mode offers plenty of positive feedback—if you’re lucky enough to win a match, you’ll be smiling all day long.The developers have been closely monitoring player feedback, making successive adjustments to certain card stats and removing level restrictions. Within just two weeks, they announced the launch of "Mad King Brawl 2.0," attracting many international creators to try the mode on the Chinese servers. They were all amazed by its creativity and playability, and the community has been overwhelmingly positive.This is undoubtedly the most successful update in the Chinese server’s history, but while the international server is still arguing over Elite Cards, we’ve already been playing the cracked version.
During the Spring Festival, the Chinese server once again launched an original 1v2 mode called "Battle of the Year Beast," which incorporated some creative elements from the previous "Mad Emperor Brawl" while seamlessly blending in traditional Chinese holiday themes. Although it was criticized for being too difficult in the two days leading up to its release, the mode ultimately saw extremely high player participation and engagement metrics.
As for the Spring Festival rewards, the items shown in the image below were distributed three times over the course of three weeks. Each week’s rewards alone were equivalent to a lifetime’s worth of rewards from the international server’s 10th-anniversary event, and on New Year’s Eve, even more rewards were added—a fitting way to thank the players who have remained loyal to the game.
Finally, ahead of the 10th-anniversary update, the developers made a bold decision: they beat the international servers to the punch by adding an option to "match against opponents with Elite Cards," ensuring that new players and free-to-play players could also enjoy a positive gaming experience.This decision might backfire on Supercell, might upset heavy spenders, and might spark a debate between the two servers over which is the "true" version, but the developers still chose to stand with the majority of players—simply because they, too, were once just ordinary players.
Now, the international servers have also launched "Chaos Trials," a mode similar to "Mad King's Brawl." For the first time ever, original content created for the Chinese servers has been adapted for the international servers.Clash Royale’s year-long journey of revival and transformation has shown that creators and the community are the true saviors. Greedy operations focused solely on short-term monetization will only drive players away. Only by giving credit where it’s due and providing benefits to those who truly need them can a game thrive for longer and remain more appealing.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/195626
