Softbank invests $1.5bn in tablet gaming company

Finnish tablet gaming developer Supercell has announced investment to the tune of $1.5bn from Japanese carrier SoftBank and its mobile gaming vehicle GungHo.

Under the deal, SoftBank/GungHo will assume control of Supercell with 51 per cent ownership, while extending the Finnish firm’s reach to the Far East.

Although Supercell will become a subsidiary of SoftBank it will continue to operate independently and maintain its headquarters in Helsinki, with co-founder Ilkka Paananen remaining in place as CEO.

Paananen said the deal will provide the company with a massive selection of strategic resources that will help it deliver our games to hundreds of millions of new consumers all over the globe.

“SoftBank is all about the long term. In fact, I have never met anyone who thinks as long term as its founder, Masayoshi Son, does. When we first met, he told me he has a 300-year vision, and I thought he was joking until the following day when he ran me through what it actually looks like and it is indeed very real and extremely inspirational. When you meet someone like Masa you realize what it takes to build a global business that will last forever. It further strengthened my belief that, we are just getting started. As a company, we are three years old so we’re only one per cent done if we plan for the next 300 years,” he said. “I think more and more people in this country are realising that there is life after Nokia!”

Supercell is responsible for developing popular iOS games Clash of Clans and Hay Day.

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