DeNA invests in its golden goose, taking 20 percent stake in Cygames for $92M

Japan’s DeNA announced today that it is buying a 20 percent stake in mobile social card game maker Cygames for $92 million.

The deal helps DeNA grab a stake in one of its most important game developers. Cygames is the maker of Rage of Bahamut, a role-playing game that has been in the top ranks of the biggest money makers on the Apple U.S. App Store for months. DeNA is acquiring 500 shares, or 20.03 percent, of Cygames for 7.4 billion yen. It is acquiring the shares from Cygames’ current majority owner, CyberAgent.

Rage of Bahamut has been critical to DeNA’s launch of its Mobage mobile social game platform in the U.S. market. DeNA generated $627 million in its most recent quarter, but the Tokyo-based company still reaps most of its business from game players in Japan.

DeNA said that it will work with Cygames to further promote its creativity and deliver new games to users around the world via DeNA’s Mobage network, which helps games get promoted without a lot of advertising expense. DeNA will get a seat on the board of Cygames.

Cygames and DeNA formed a strategic alliance in February, and Rage of Bahamut has become a huge hit in the U.S., Europe, South Korea and Japan.