What you need to know
- Supercell is bringing two popular mobile games, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, to PC for the very first time via Google Play Games (beta).
- Google Play Games is an application that allows users to browse, download, and play Android games on their PCs with seamless integration with Google Play Points.
- The two games will support mouse controls and feature-optimized graphics alongside high-end performance capabilities.
Clash of Clans and Clash Royale from Helsinki-based game company Supercell can now be played on PC for the very first time thanks to the Google Play Games beta app on Windows. Clash of Clans is an ongoing strategy game that has built a community of millions of players over its decade-long run on Android devices. Clash Royale, a mobile real-time multiplayer deck-building battler, has also fostered an impressive community of dedicated players on Android.
Both Clash of Clans and Clash Royale will remain free to play, bolstered by in-app purchases and the Supercell Store. Players can look forward to cross-platform play, and all progress will be saved on a player's Supercell ID to allow for cross-progression.
The move to bring these two mobile heavy-weights to PC is a first for Supercell. “We want to put our players first in everything we do, and our players have been asking for a way to play on PC. We hope to see many of them use this new way to play Clash and enjoy it even more!”, said Stuart McGaw, General Manager of Clash of Clans.
The push for Android games to move to PC via Google Play Games comes just as Xbox closes its record-setting deal with Activision Blizzard King. Some market regulating authorities saw Microsoft's purchase of ABK as a way for the company to foreclose on Sony's PlayStation by withholding the popular Call of Duty franchise from the competition.
However, many in the industry —including PlayStation head, Jim Ryan— saw Microsoft's acquisition as a move into the mobile space. It was Candy Crush, not Call of Duty, that Xbox was after.
In his testimony during the Xbox vs. FTC hearings, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer echoed this point. According to Spencer, mobile is the fastest-growing sector of the gaming market, whereas console has dramatically stagnated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon closing the ABK deal, Xbox leadership began to visit the newly acquired studios —starting with King.
We want to put our players first in everything we do, and our players have been asking for a way to play on PC. We hope to see many of them use this new way to play Clash and enjoy it even more!
Stuart McGaw, Supercell
Spencer sees Xbox as having largely lost the console wars against PlayStation and has said he now sees Google and Amazon as Xbox's biggest competition in gaming. Both Google, via mobile gaming, and Amazon, with cloud streaming service Luna, have made strides in the gaming market in recent years. While Google's attempts at cloud streaming with Stadia failed, its mobile gaming library is already widely supported by developers and publishers, who may benefit from expanding to new audiences on PC.
