WeChat owner Tencent Holdings Inc. is reportedly negotiating to acquire a majority stake in Clash of Clans hitmaker Supercell Oy from Japan's SoftBank Group Corp., sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

Like Us on Facebook

Although the talks are still at its early stage, sources could not confirm if SoftBank is also in discussion with other possible interested parties.

In 2013, SoftBank bought a 51 percent stake from Supercell for $1.53 billion. Then, it raised its share to 73 percent the following year without disclosing the cost. However, a source revealed that the Hay Day creator is roughly worth $5.25 billion in 2015.

In a joint venture, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and China's Giant Interactive Group were reportedly in discussions with SoftBank and Supercell for an acquisition last year. However, price has allegedly been a sticking point, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Alibaba, Giant Interactive, SoftBank, Supercell and Tencent all refused to comment about the issue.

Supercell is the creator of top-grossing games including Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Boom Beach and Clash Royale across the United States and Europe. Its games could be downloaded for free, but it could earn revenue from selling virtual goods to its players.

Its latest game Clash Royale, which was unveiled just this March, was named the top-grossing game for the month with a revenue reaching $80 million, Newzoo reported. It was also the only foreign title to make it to China's top-grossing mobile games.

Although Tencent is already a major global player in PC games after it owned League of Legends maker Riot Games, it is still trying to make a name across the worldwide mobile gaming industry. The company acquired a minority stake of US-based Glu Mobile Inc. and Pocket Gems Inc. in 2015. It also has a stake in Activision Blizzard and Europe's Miniclip.

TagsTencent, CLASH OF CLANS, SoftBank, supercell, Alibaba, Giant Alternative, Hay Day, League of Legends, Clash Royale, Boom Beach