Summary
Last week, Bloomberg claimed thatthe Guillemot Family and Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent are interested in buying out Ubisoftto take the company private.
While Ubisoft didn’t deny or confirm the rumours, it did respond to these reports in a statement toVGC.
“Ubisoft has noted recent press speculation regarding potential interests around the company,” the spokesperson said. “It regularly reviews all its strategic options in the interest of stakeholders and will inform the market if and when appropriate.
“The company reiterates that management is currently focused on executing its strategy, centered on two core verticals - open world adventures and [games as a service]-native experiences.”
Ubisoft’s Change In Strategy
The last couple of years haven’t been kind to Ubisoft —Star Wars: Outlaws flopped,Skull & Boneswas a disaster,XDefiant is struggling to find players,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorafailed to make the same splash as the billion dollar franchise that spawned it, andAssassin’s Creed: Shadows was pushed back to next year.
With share prices plummeting to record lows, Ubisoft’s executive committee and board of directors launched an investigation into the company “aimed at further improving our execution, notably in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performing model to the benefit of our stakeholders and shareholders.”
Insiders have since claimed that Ubisoft’s new plans includelaunching tenAssassin’s Creed games in just five years. These will reportedly be “of various lengths and experiences”, including mobile games such as Jade. There’s alsothe long-rumoured Black Flag remake, which is likely included in this line-up, as well as Codename Invictus which isreportedly similar to Fall Guys.
Hedge fund AJ investment, which holds less than one percent of Ubisoft shares, alsopenned an open letter calling on management “to allow the sale of the company to third parties or private equity firms”.It claimed to have the support of ten percent of shareholders, proposing to “optimise” staffing levels, cut costs, and replace CEO Yves Guillemot. It did not reveal who backed the letter.
Ubisoft
Headquartered in Saint-Mandé, France, Ubisoft is a developer and publisher that employs over 20,000 people worldwide. It is known primarily for the Assassin’s Creed, Rayman, Far Cry, and Just Dance series, as well as games using the Tom Clancy name. It also produces adaptations of popular board games, such as Monopoly and Uno.
