Following last week’s rumours about a potential acquisition of Ubisoft by Tencent, a spokeperson from Ubisoft has tried to slow speculation by claiming the company is “reviewing all of its strategic options” but remains focused on its strategy.
“Ubisoft has noted recent press speculation regarding potential interests around the Company,” Ubisoft said to VGC. “It regularly reviews all its strategic options in the interest of stakeholders and will inform the market if and when appropriate.”
Ubisoft also “reiterates that management is currently focused on executing its strategy, centred on two core verticals – Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences.”
Tencent could be Ubisoft’s only hope to protect from hostile takeovers
A strategy that has hardly worked out for them this year: its premium GaaS game Skull & Bones failed to impress anyone, and despite its good intentions, open world game Star Wars Outlaws reviewed below expectations and sold much worse.
Ubisoft later confirmed Assassin’s Creed Shadows was delayed until 2025, causing its market value to plummet. However, last Friday’s rumours of a potential buyout by Tencent (or an alliance with the Chinese company to help make Ubisoft private) helped Ubisoft’s share price to increase again.
The Guillemot family has, for decaded, protected Ubisoft from hostile takeovers (including Electronic Arts in the 2000s, Vivendi in the 2010s), but due to the fragility of the company, an alliance with Tencent might be the only way to stop other investors to push out the Guillemot family from ownership of the company.