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There’s no doubt that the last couple of weeks have proven to be quite rough for the French publisher, Ubisoft. The company’s shares fell to an 11-year low, and its much-anticipated projects, such asStar Wars Outlaws, struggled to ship copies, and its biggest franchise,Assassin’s Creed, has been delayed until the next year.
Many gamers thought that it was the end of the line for Ubisoft. However, a new significant change could be coming up at the company sooner than later. Latest reports suggest that the founders of Ubisoft are considering a buyout with none other than Tencent.
Ubisoft’s Guillemot Family and Tencent Plan For a Ubisoft Buyout
According toBloomberg, Ubisoft’s founders, the Guillemot Family, and Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent are interested in teaming up to completely buy Ubisoft and take the company private.
The Studio Behind Stray Imploded Because Of The Same Issues Ubisoft Is Going Through: Is Assassin’s Creed Even On The Table Anymore?
Currently, Tencent owns about 9.2% of Ubisoft’s voting rights. In comparison, the Guillemot Family has 20.5% shares in AJ Investments, which is a hedge fund and owner of 1% of Ubisoft shares. It has beencalling for the resignation of the publisher’s top executivesand taking the company on a new path. The hedge fund previously also revealed that it has managed to get the backing of 10% of Ubisoft’s various shareholders.
The hedge fund previously also revealed that it has managed to get the backing of 10% of Ubisoft’s various shareholders.
Tencent & Guillemot family are reportedly looking at buying out Ubisoft• Multiple games have underperformed in sales this year• Company has lost more than half its market value this year(via@business)pic.twitter.com/avHtWdRGXK
If Guillemot Family and Tencent do end up buying out the rest of Ubisoft’s shareholders in an attempt to take the publisher private, it will lead toUbisoftbeing completely owned by this partnership. It’s worth keeping in mind that these are still early discussions, and it’s still up in the air if Tencent will pursue this route.
It’s not shocking to see the French publisher in this state. The company has been a victim of massive failures over the last couple of years, which has led to this situation where the company’s founders and the Chinese investor feel the need to address the plummeting value.
The news of a possible buyout for the company has already skyrocketed its price, with an increase of over 25% in a matter of hours.
Let’s hopeAssassin’s Creed Shadows‘ release in February takes some of this pressure off the publisher’s shoulders. Otherwise, the future isn’t looking too bright for the company.
Ubisoft DelaysAssassin’s Creed Shadowsto 2025
Assassin’s Creed Shadowswas supposed to be the center of attention at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show in a special presentation by the French publisher. However, the presentation was out of nowhere, and the company axed it for no reason. Gamers couldn’t help but wonder what was going on, but everything was clear now.
Delusion or Confidence? Ubisoft Still Believes Star Wars Outlaws Can be Saved as a “Strong long-term performer” If They Do 1 Thing Before Holiday Season
Unfortunately, theAssassin’s Creed Shadowshas been pushed forwardto February 14th, 2025, meaning that gamers will have to wait an extra three months to dive into the action. According to the company, this was a hard decision but a necessary one for the best interest of the title.
Not only did the French publisher delayShadows, but it also revealed that all the existing pre-orders for the game would be refunded. This isn’t uncommon, though it’s quite bizarre for a company to outright refund ore-orders when pushing back a title.
It’s going to be quite interesting to witness howAssassin’s Creed Shadowsends up performing commercially. However, 2025 should also prove to be quite an exciting year forAssassin’s Creedfans. AlongsideShadows‘ debut in February 2025, the Assassin’s Creed Jade, a mobile game, is also expected to hit shelves at some point next year.
With that said, do you think Ubisoft’s buyout by the Guillemot Family and Tencent is the right move? Let us know in the comments below.
Dhruv Bhatnagar
Articles Published :1195
With over 4 years of experience in content writing and more than 1,000 articles published for FandomWire, Dhruv is a seasoned writer when it comes to the gaming space. He’s deeply passionate about titles such as GTA Online, Forza Horizon, and Pokémon Go, committed to bringing readers deep dives and latest updates.
