Game company Supercell builds a Zero Trust identity foundation with Okta

Supercell’s employees and game-support partners needed fast, secure access to internal tools without added friction. With Okta as the identity backbone in a Zero Trust model, the game company now manages thousands of identities smoothly while strengthening security. The result is a setup that scales with growth and keeps the user experience front and center.

Why Supercell needed a frictionless IAM solution

With teams, studios and game-support partners spread across continents, Supercell’s digital workplace had quickly grown into a global ecosystem since the company was founded in 2010. The company manages thousands of identities globally, including internal employees and external partners supporting game operations worldwide. Illustration of secure identity verification across devices, with a user profile, lock shield, and checkmark.

All of them needed quick and secure access to internal tools from any location, especially as Supercell continued to enhance security standards. Traditional, network-based approaches simply couldn’t keep pace with this remote-first environment and the frequent onboarding of new team members.

With teams all over the world and people working remotely, the old way of doing things simply didn’t scale anymore. Supercell needed stronger security that could keep pace with their dynamic environment.

To meet these needs, Supercell set out to find an Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform that would deliver a seamless user experience, establish trusted device access, and effortlessly scale to support every user without slowing down productivity.

Founded in 2010 and based in Helsinki, Finland, Supercell is a globally-operating mobile game company with offices in San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and London. Since its start, Supercell has launched six global-market games, which include hits like Hay Day, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.

Key drivers for change

Global workforce and partners working across time zones and locations.

Remote onboarding for large groups and teams.

Need for device-based access and clear visibility across mixed platforms.

Balancing the need to reduce login friction with the demand for stronger security controls.

Shift toward a Zero Trust model built on identity rather than network boundaries.

Zero Trust identity foundation with Okta and Cloudworks

To create a frictionless, scalable IAM setup, Supercell partnered with Cloudworks to design a Zero Trust architecture centered on Okta Workforce Identity. The goal was simple: make security effortless for users while giving Supercell full visibility and control behind the scenes.

The Okta platform is now the central place where access to applications is managed. Users sign in once, and each request is evaluated by identity, device and context. With adaptive MFA and device-based authentication, trusted laptops and phones can access resources without unnecessary hurdles, while higher-risk scenarios prompt stronger checks. The Okta platform also connects smoothly with Supercell’s existing device management, ensuring only managed, compliant devices can access internal tools.

Our Okta setup has improved both user experience and security. SSO has made access to applications simpler for our users, while strong authentication has strengthened our security. Automated onboarding and offboarding have reduced manual work and helped us manage user access more efficiently.

Teemu Hakuli, IT Support Engineer, Supercell

Automated lifecycle and credential cutover to Okta

Behind the scenes, day to day identity changes are handled automatically. The Okta platform is integrated with HR, which means joiners, movers and leavers are managed automatically, day-one access is ready the moment a contract starts and offboarding is immediate and consistent. That same automation gives Supercell the flexibility to easily scale up during busy periods, including welcoming large groups of new partners or teams onboard, or supporting distributed, remote-first onboarding. A circular flow showing a user moving through onboarding, role changes and offboarding, symbolizing automated identity lifecycle management in an IAM system.

One of the key milestones in Supercell’s IAM journey was making Okta the primary source of truth for end-user authentication and credential management. This opened up more self-service options for employees and partners when setting up authentication methods and paved the way for true passwordless authentication for all users.

The transition was carefully planned, with clear communication, real-time monitoring and a dedicated hypercare period to support users during the change. The result was a smooth switch for thousands of people and a clean path toward a Zero Trust environment that balances seamless user experience with strong, policy-driven control.

What Supercell gained from a Zero Trust IAM foundation

Supercell’s new IAM foundation has changed both the daily user experience and the way IT works.

Faster, smoother access
Logins are quicker on trusted devices, and small time savings per authentication add up across thousands of users.

Stronger security with better control
Identity and device posture now work together, so only approved users on managed devices reach internal tools.

Scalable onboarding for a global workforce
Thousands of identities are handled through Okta, making even a big wave of users manageable.

Less operational friction for IT
Most changes are done as configuration in the Okta platform instead of custom development, which reduces tickets and speeds up changes.

What’s the next steps?

Supercell continues to expand its Okta platform and the company recently moved Okta Privileged Access into production, giving its infrastructure team a secure and streamlined way to access server resources. Supercell is also exploring Okta Identity Governance as a possible next step, building on the lifecycle automation already in place.

The Okta platform keeps evolving, and Supercell has been quick to adopt new capabilities when they add value. It gives them room to grow without having to rethink the whole setup every time.

With Okta as the identity backbone, Supercell is well positioned to keep evolving its IAM landscape as new needs and opportunities arise.

Cloudworks as Supercell's IAM partner

At Cloudworks, we’re dedicated to Identity and Access Management and are proud to be the leading Okta partner in the Nordics. We focus on bringing our IAM expertise into our customers' daily operations.

With Supercell, our consultants work side by side with the internal IT and security teams as an extended part of the organization. We know the technical setup and how the teams prefer to work, which makes it easier to have transparent discussions on trade-offs, priorities and the next steps. A user with a managed phone, showing device-trust checks that grant secure access only from compliant devices.

As trusted advisors, we help Supercell turn Zero Trust principles into concrete policies, review new Okta features and support decisions as the environment evolves. Drawing on our experience with other dynamic, cloud-first organizations, we offer tailored insights that respect Supercell's unique needs without forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

We see Cloudworks as a trusted partner in our Okta journey. Working with them has been easy and straightforward. Communication has been clear, and they have been responsive whenever we’ve needed support. They understand our environment well and help us find practical solutions to our IAM needs.

Teemu Hakuli, IT Support Engineer, Supercell

Want to explore what Okta and Zero Trust could look like for you?

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