GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. (
Japanese: ガンホー・オンライン・エンターテイメント株式会社,
Hepburn: Ganhō Onrain Entāteimento kabushiki gaisha) is a Japanese
video game developer and
publisher. They are primarily known for hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online (developed by its listed Korean subsidiary
Gravity), as well as their development of Ragnarok DS for the
Nintendo DS. More recently, the company has reported huge financial success thanks to its mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, which, in 2013, was reportedly responsible for 91% of the company's $1.6 billion revenues for the year.[3]
The company was established as ONSale Co., Ltd. on July 1, 1998, as a joint venture between
Softbank and
onSale Inc. to engage in the online interactive auction business in the US.
In 2000, the company moved its headquarters to
Chiyoda,
Tokyo,
Japan and changed its focus to providing auction systems, etc. using
ASP.[4]
In 2002, the company once again changed its focus, this time to Online Game Services. Primarily hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online.
On June 3, 2016, Softbank agreed to sell most of its stake in GungHo (approximately 23.47%) for about $685 million, which would end Softbank's majority ownership of the company, resulting in Gungho no longer being an associate of Softbank.[7][8][9] The offer was accepted by Gungho and completed by June 22, thus allowing Gungho to become an independent company.[10][11]
In October 2021, GungHo sold Grasshopper Manufacture to
NetEase.[12]
GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. (
Japanese: ガンホー・オンライン・エンターテイメント株式会社,
Hepburn: Ganhō Onrain Entāteimento kabushiki gaisha) is a Japanese
video game developer and
publisher. They are primarily known for hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online (developed by its listed Korean subsidiary
Gravity), as well as their development of Ragnarok DS for the
Nintendo DS. More recently, the company has reported huge financial success thanks to its mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, which, in 2013, was reportedly responsible for 91% of the company's $1.6 billion revenues for the year.[3]
The company was established as ONSale Co., Ltd. on July 1, 1998, as a joint venture between
Softbank and
onSale Inc. to engage in the online interactive auction business in the US.
In 2000, the company moved its headquarters to
Chiyoda,
Tokyo,
Japan and changed its focus to providing auction systems, etc. using
ASP.[4]
In 2002, the company once again changed its focus, this time to Online Game Services. Primarily hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online.
On June 3, 2016, Softbank agreed to sell most of its stake in GungHo (approximately 23.47%) for about $685 million, which would end Softbank's majority ownership of the company, resulting in Gungho no longer being an associate of Softbank.[7][8][9] The offer was accepted by Gungho and completed by June 22, thus allowing Gungho to become an independent company.[10][11]
In October 2021, GungHo sold Grasshopper Manufacture to
NetEase.[12]