China-based internet giant Tencent Holdings will join partners to pay $8.6 billion to purchase an 84.3% stake in Supercell, the Finnish developer responsible for titles including Clash of Clans. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the developer is valued at $10.2 billion and is the latest investment by Tencent who also owns Riot, developer of massively-popular League of Legends.
From the report:
"Because the purchase is occurring in stages, Tencent has sufficient funds to pay for the initial purchase, the people said. The Chinese internet giant is also planning to raise additional debt secured by Supercell's assets to help cover some of the acquisition costs, they said. Supercell was valued at roughly $5.25 billion last year, according to a person familiar with the matter. SoftBank first bought a 51% stake in the Finnish gaming company for $1.53 billion in 2013. Last year, SoftBank raised its stake to 73% but didn't disclose the price of the transaction."
Tencent has stated that Supercell's current management would retain operational independence to continue developing published titles as they see fit. The deal is set to be set in stone sometime in Q3 2016, subject to regulatory approvals.
