Overview
- Ilkka Paananen, named on Wednesday, will receive BAFTA’s top honor at the BAFTA Games Awards on April 17 at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
- BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip called him a visionary leader who built a globally influential studio while backing collaboration and trust across teams.
- Paananen said the Fellowship is an incredible honor and credited Supercell’s developers for the success that led to the award.
- He co-founded Finland-based Supercell in 2010, known for Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars, and the company was valued at €8.4 billion in a 2016 Tencent deal.
- BAFTA highlighted his support for emerging founders through Illusian and his 2015 foundation focused on youth well-being, placing him in a Fellowship lineage that includes Will Wright, Yoko Shimomura, and Rockstar Games.