Softbank raises Supercell stake to 73%

Softbank has upped its stake in Clash of Clans developer Supercell by 22.7 per cent to 73.2 per cent.

The Japanese telecoms giant bought shares held by existing external investors, including Accel Partners, which has sold all of its remaining stock in the firm.

Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen will remain as CEO. A statement from Softbank also said the studio will continue to operate independently.

“SoftBank positions its partnership with Supercell as core to its mobile content strategy and believes that strengthening its relationship with Supercell through the transaction will further contribute to the SoftBank Group’s growth over the long-term,” read a statement.

Softbank acquired a 51 per cent stake in Supercell for $1.5bn in October 2013, valuing the company at $3bn. At the time, Paananen said the partnership would accelerate the company’s growth toward being a global games company.

Its flagship titles Hay Day and Clash of Clans continue to dominate the App Store Top Grossing charts, while its newest game, Boom Beach, also broke into the top ten. Supercell has also been able to make inroads in Asia, in part thanks to its collaborations with Japanese Puzzle & Dragons developer GungHo.