Summary
AJ Investments, a hedge fund holding less than 1 per cent ofUbisoft’s shares, is pushing for the sale of Ubisoft to a third party or private equity. In a letter shared withReuters, AJ Investments claims to have the support of 10 per cent of Ubisoft’s shareholders.
“We call on the management of Ubisoft to allow the sale of the company to third parties or private equity firms at a fair price,” reads the letter. This comes just weeks after AJ Investments released an open letter containing several proposals for the company’s board: cut costs, “optimise” staffing levels, take the company private and replace current chief executive officer Yves Guillemot.
AJ Investments did not reveal which other Ubisoft investors are backing it. Ubisoft’s biggest shareholder is the Guillemot family, which owns 15 per cent and operates the company. This is followed by Chinese mega-corporation Tencent, who own just under 10 per cent.
Ubisoft Has Been Struggling
Ubisoft’s stock price has been in free fall, having lost 66 per cent of its value over the last year with no signs of recovering. 20 per cent of this decrease comes solely from Ubisoft’s announcement that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has beendelayed until June 30, 2025.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' delay is in part due to thepoor commercial performance of Star Wars Outlaws, which had a middling reception from players and critics alike. According to Ubisoft, “While Assassin’s Creed Shadows is feature complete, the learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws release led us to provide additional time to polish the title.” Ubisoft also went on to say it’snot pushing any specific agendain Assassin’s Creed Shadows following (nonsensical) controversy over the game’s dual protagonists.
Star Wars Outlaws' poor sales and Assassin’s Creed Shadows' delay are just two of the latest gut punches in what has been a torrid couple of years for Ubisoft. Skull & Bones and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are two recent misfires from Ubisoft as neither sold well, despite the latter being very well regarded by those who did play it.
Only time will tell if Ubisoft can bounce back from recent setbacks and if the current owners can survive this management dispute.
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.
