In 2016, Clash Royale, a side project, was released. A little strategy game of destroying towers, playing cards, and winning battles. At the time, Supercell’s hit game, Clash of Clans, had earned about 822 million dollars in revenue. It had been around for about four years and was extremely popular. Supercell released Clash Royale as a spin-off. A new game with “epic and real-time battles” involving a lot of the same characters as Clash of Clans. With fun animations, kings, archers, goblins, and spells, this interesting experiment had a big future ahead; that big future has arrived.
For the past nine years, Clash Royale has gone through hundreds of updates and seasons, evolving dramatically. In 2017, its revenue surpassed the revenue of Clash of Clans. It was thriving. After a peak in 2017, it went through many changes, more cards, chests, arenas, evolutions, tower-troops, etc. Around 2022 through 2024, it reached a lull. With unpopular updates, unfair advantages, people were losing interest. It was still popular, but it wasn’t reaching its potential.
In June of 2025, the lull was no longer. Clash Royale made the most monthly revenue of any Supercell game, with 41 million dollars, 11 million more than Clash of Clans. This is the first time since the game was released that Clash Royale has made more money than Brawl Stars and Clash of Clans.
Junior Sam Byers stated, “I’ve been playing ever since I was a little kid, a couple of matches each day.” One of the most addictive factors of the game is trophies. When a player wins a game, they gain trophies. When they lose, they lose trophies. Players try to advance themselves to certain checkpoints to gain rewards and new cards. This dynamic keeps players hooked. After a win, players want to keep playing. Byers explains the feeling, “[after a win] my dopamine goes through the roof.” This boost of excitement will get players to keep aiming for their goal of the next arena. “If I lose, my phone goes against the wall.” When players lose trophies, they want to gain it back, how? By playing more. It gives a similar feeling to gambling, except that, instead of money, it’s trophies. Yes, it can flip emotions, keep players addicted, but it also gives a social aspect. Byers says, “We can talk about more things, or just hang out.” Conversations, games, and competition, can help improve friendships, which gives even more reasons for people to play.
This year, Clash Royale is one of the most popular mobile games in the school. Why is it so popular all of a sudden? Rowan Ball, a freshman at BHS, said, “Over the summer, I’ve been grinding.” He has played for six years, and he’s been playing a lot recently. This is due to an online streamer named Jynxzi, a popular influencer who has started playing Clash Royale and has many videos on it. He gives a fun personality to the game, inspiring people to play. “He revived it, and he’s really funny. You watch a couple of clips of him [playing Clash Royale], and you want to start playing it.”
Berkley Students, like sophomore Jack Sanborn, credit the rise of Clash Royale to Jynxzi. Sanborn said he’s played pretty consistently throughout the past five years, but has definitely noticed a resurgence. “Eventually, it will lose popularity, but overall, it’s not gonna die… someday it will become more popular again.”
So yes, streamers have definitely helped Clash Royale, but it’s also just a really fun game. “My favorite part about the game is the strategy… It’s like chess,” Sanborn said. It has similarities to chess, with strategy and deep thinking, but the addictive contrast of a fantasy battle that engages players even more. He also enjoys playing with his friends because “It’s competitive.”
Sophomore Conner Long has been playing for four years. He talked about how a friend sees someone playing, and that makes them want to play. “It’s more fun to play with your friends.” According to the Broward Therapy Group, “People may feel a sense of belonging within their video game communities, which can make it hard to step away from the game.” Players want to become better than their friends, or play with their friends, which makes them even more inclined to play.
A win boosts Long’s mood throughout the day, “but a loss makes me feel even worse.” Clash Royale swings people through a lot of emotions, making it even more intense. On the other hand, Long says, “I think it’ll lose popularity if big creators start to play less. The game might get a little too repetitive, and people might move on.”
Who knows what the future holds for Clash Royale, but right now, it seems untouchable. It’s the perfect blend of strategy and fun that seems to keep players hooked. It’s not just Berkley or the United States; people from all around the world are playing. With its fun theme, its in-depth strategy, addictive dynamic, and its community aspect, this little side project became one of the most popular video games in the world.
