We know that for several weeks, Ubisoft has not been doing very well. Between the very disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws, the stock market which reached its lowest threshold in 10 years, the open letter from certain disgruntled investors who demand the departure of Yves Guillemot, then the sudden postponement of Assassin’s Creed at 2025, the French publisher is in the middle of a major crisis. To stop the bleeding and try to save the ship, Yves Guillemot is reportedly considering the takeover of Ubisoft by the Chinese Tencent in order to exit the stock market and become a private company again. It was the very serious newspaper Bloomberg which revealed the information, which had an immediate reaction on the stock market, since the share price soared by 31.08% to reach €13.94 and took the lead of the SBF 120 index.
It must be said that Tencent and the Guillemot family have already become closer in 2022, when the Chinese group was kindly invited by the Guillemot family to acquire 49.9% of the capital, knowing that the Ubisoft board of directors authorized Tencent to increase its direct stake from 4.5% to 9.99%, with the Chinese group prohibited from selling its Ubisoft shares before 5 years, and will also not be able to increase its stake beyond 9.99 % of Ubisoft’s capital and voting rights before 8 years. But to prevent bankruptcy following the latest events, the two companies would therefore consider going further together. “The discussions are only just beginning and it is not certain that they will lead to a transaction” explains the press agency. “Tencent and the Guillemot family are also considering other solutions.”according to these sources. Questioned by AOF, Ubisoft did not wish to comment on this subject.
If Tencent accepts Ubisoft’s proposal, the French publisher would then become the second major video game player to fly the Chinese flag, since Quantic Dream has already agreed to become a subsidiary of NetEase in 2022.