Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen to receive BAFTA Fellowship
Supercell CEO and co-founder Ilkka Paananen will be honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship award in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the video game industry.
The accolade is BAFTA's highest honour and will be presented to Paananen at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards on Friday, April 17, at the South Bank Centre in London.
Paananen co-founded Supercell in 2010 and has since turned the Finnish mobile studio into a global powerhouse. The company has crafted a slate of successful mobile titles including Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars.
"Receiving the BAFTA Fellowship is an incredible honour. Looking at the names of previous Fellows, I see so many of my personal heroes—people whose work has inspired me and who I continue to look up to. Being included in their company is something I never could have imagined," said Paananen.
"Throughout my career, I have been extremely fortunate. But my greatest fortune, by far, has been the privilege of working with amazingly talented and passionate game developers over the past 25 years. They are the ones who create the magic. This award truly belongs to each and every one of them."
Previous BAFTA Fellowship recipients include Yoko Shimomura, Shuhei Yoshida, Siobhan Reddy, Hideo Kojima, and Tim Schafer.
