After months of on-and-off rumours, it looks like where there is Ubi-smoke, there is Ubi-fire.
According to Reuters, the Guillemot family, the largest founding shareholders in Ubisoft, is examining various terms for a buyout deal.
Reuters says their sources point to several ideas, including the family retaining its majority stake. But who are the potential buyers? It looks like Tencent has been tapped on the shoulder, and phones are ringing in their offices.
Ubisoft Says Talks Are Ongoing.
This is not the first time we’ve seen this news pop up, either. Bloomberg first reported talks between the two gaming companies began earlier this year, but it looks like that hasn’t stopped or necessarily slowed down.
Tencent is the second-largest stakeholder in Ubisoft and recently launched Marvel Rivals after a couple of largely successful and popular beta tests. So far, there’s no confirmation that the company plans to grab a larger share of the game maker.
Reuters also says that the talks are ongoing, and Tencent wants to “remain patient and wait for the founding family to agree to a deal.”
However, Ubisoft has spoken to the new agency, saying in part: “We remain committed to making decisions in the best interests of all of our stakeholders…”In this context, as we have already indicated, the Company is also reviewing all its strategic options.”
Ubisoft has also had a fairly rocky last few years, and 2024 will be no different. Financially, games like Star Wars Outlaws did not meet expectations. This, among other sales targets, caused the company to halt support for the recently released XDefiant.
On the more business side of things, Ubisoft’s stocks have plummeted in 2024. After they delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows in September, shares fell to their lowest level in a decade.
