Perfect World, one of China’s largest video game companies, is making a big investment in Universal Pictures to help launch its global film business. Nasdaq.com reported Wednesday that the Chinese company is investing $250 million in equity and expects to raise about $200 million in debt according to its president, Rong Chen.

The slate deal between Perfect World Pictures and Universal would cover 25 percent of the production budgets of most movies made by the studio over the next five years. The agreement begins with this year’s Universal releases, the first of which was buddy comedy “Ride Along 2.”

Slate deals like this one, in which an outside company covers a portion of the budgets of most or all films at a studio, are commonly used in Hollywood as a way to reduce risk in the unpredictable movie business.