On Monday Japanese telecoms and internet SoftBank announced that it had boosted its ownership in Supercell to 73.2 percent of the company. Back in 2013, the multinational company made millionaires of many Supercell owner-employees when it forked out more than one billion euros to purchase 50.5 percent of the company.
SoftBank did not disclose how much it paid for the additional 22.7 percent stake in the Finnish gamer. However it said that Supercell would continue to operate as an independent outfit under the leadership of chief executive Ilkka Paananen.
The additional shares were purchased from existing investors and the transaction has seen the exit of the venture capital company Accel, which was an early investor in Supercell.
Supercell games are based on a "freemium" model, in which users can download the game for free, but must pay for extras and additional features.
The combination of the sales model and the entrancing nature of the community and strategy games has so far proven to be a bonanza for the company.