Key Takeaways
- Ubisoft is said to be in talks with Tencent for a buyout, aiming to have the Guillemot family retain control.
- Ubisoft employees are reportedly concerned about the company’s future.
- Shareholders want the Guillemot family to maintain power as Ubisoft seeks strategic options.
Ubisoft, the company behind Assassin’s Creed, is reportedly in talks with Tencent for a potential buyout where the Guillemot family retains some sort of control over the company. Ubisoft has been having a bit of a downturn financially lately, with games not meeting sales expectations in the past few years. As a result, news has been spreading that Ubisoft is looking to sell to another company.
Earlier this month, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot mentioned he is doing everything in his power to retain control of the company. This was leaked in a company memo meant to be sent to employees of Ubisoft. Insider Gaming reported on the leak, revealing that many employees are uncertain about the company’s future. A survey with an 86% response rate yielded over 55,000 comments, and with the current employee numbers around 21,000, that’s around 2.6 comments per employee. The news leads to the belief that company morale is low. However, the Guillemot family is trying to change that.
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Ubisoft has reportedly been in talks with Tencent for some time over the purchase of the company. Tencent owns around 10% of Ubisoft and seems to want a bigger role in the decisions it makes. In a report by Reuters, Ubisoft is seeking a deal where its French founders, the Guillemot family, will still have control of the decisions for the company. Whether Ubisoft and Tencent reach a compromise on power over the company is to be seen. Talks are still ongoing, and as a result, Ubisoft’s stock has soared over 14% with the news.
Ubisoft Shareholders Want Guillemot Family to Maintain Control of The Company
As a result of poor financial reports at Ubisoft, it has been seeking “strategic options” to save the company. In a year-on-year report, Ubisoft recorded 22% fewer net bookings, with the poor reception for Star Wars Outlaws as part of the blame. Ubisoft has been tight-lipped over the deal with Tencent, but news keeps breaking about what terms are being brought up behind closed doors.
In a surprise move, Ubisoft delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows from November 2024 to February 2025. Reportedly, developers at Ubisoft had been asking for a delay on Assassin’s Creed Shadows for some time. However, only recently has the delay been approved. How this title performs has yet to be seen.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher with a main headquarters in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot runs an array of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known series in video games, with franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance, and more. Ubisoft also acts as a parent company for an array of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.
- Date Founded
- March 28, 1986
- Headquarters
- Saint Mandé, France
- CEO
- Yves Guillemot