- Ilkka Paananen is to be awarded the arts charity’s highest honour, recognising his outstanding and long-standing contribution to the games industry
- Ilkka Paananen is best known for co-founding and leading Supercell, the mobile games powerhouse behind global blockbusters including Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day, and Brawl Stars
- The Fellowship will be presented at the BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play on Friday 17 April, at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, and streamed on Twitch and YouTube
Finnish entrepreneur and Supercell CEO and co-founder, Ilkka Paananen, will be honoured with the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship at the BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play on Friday 17 April 2026. The BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA, celebrates exceptional individuals who have driven innovation, creativity, and positive change in the screen arts, including games, over the course of their career.
Credited with building one of the most successful mobile games companies, Ilkka co-founded Supercell in 2010 (after celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2025). Under his leadership, Supercell’s innovative “small team” philosophy has produced iconic mobile blockbusters including Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. The company is known for its strong culture of trust, open communication and effective collaboration with partners. Across the years, and despite industry challenges, Supercell has thrived with handheld hits and bold investment in new games.
Ilkka Paananen shared: “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. 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.”
Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said: “It is a real privilege to honour Ilkka with the BAFTA Fellowship this year. A visionary leader in games, he has built a globally influential company while championing creative collaboration and trust at every level. His deep respect and commitment to nurturing emerging talent and his ongoing support for young people reflect the very best of BAFTA’s values. We are delighted to celebrate his exceptional contribution to the industry and look forward to presenting him with this honour at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play.”
Beyond Supercell, Ilkka supports emerging founders as an investor and mentor through his organisation, Illusian. He co-founded the Ilkka Paananen Foundation in 2015 to advance social and mental well-being among children, young people, and families – promoting equal opportunities for fulfilling lives regardless of background. These initiatives bridge technology and non-profits, backing impactful projects such as social impact measurement tools, responsible AI-driven mental health support for young people, and educational games that build essential social skills.
Fellows previously honoured for their work in games include Yoko Shimomura, Shuhei Yoshida, Siobhan Reddy, Hideo Kojima, Tim Schafer, John Carmack and more.
The BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play is part of the London Games Festival (13 to 19 April) and marks a significant milestone in the international Awards calendar. The Games Awards are supported by headline sponsor Google Play and official partners: EE, Epic Games, PlayStation, AGM and Games London.
The BAFTA Fellowship will be presented to Ilkka Paananen at the BAFTA Games Awards with Google Play on Friday 17 April at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The ceremony will be hosted by Elz and streamed on BAFTA’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Content will also be available to watch on @BAFTA socials.
Media enquiries
For any interview and asset requests or for more information please contact The Story Mob: BAFTA@thestorymob.com
BAFTA: pressoffice@bafta.org
About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit baftadev.alchemy.construction. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
About Google Play
Google Play is a global digital content store that makes it easy for more than 2.5 billion monthly users across 190+ markets worldwide to discover millions of high-quality apps, games, books, and more. We connect people looking for apps and games they’ll love with the businesses who build them. For more, visit google.play/howplayworks
