Ubisoft recently announced significant changes to its game publishing and release strategy, and now a new report suggests that more changes may be on the horizon for the company. According to Bloomberg, Tencent, the Guillemot family (the founders of Ubisoft), and other minority shareholders are exploring the possibility of a buyout to privatize the company.
Tencent currently holds a 9.2% stake in the video game publisher, while the Guillemot family possesses approximately 20.5% of the company. It’s worth noting that these discussions are in the early stages, and since the information is sourced from anonymous individuals, there is no guarantee that a buyout will occur.
This development hints at potential upheaval behind the scenes at Ubisoft. On September 25, executives revealed that the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows had been postponed from November to February of the following year. They cited the need for further polish to ensure the highest quality. Additionally, they mentioned a shift towards a more “player-centric approach,” discontinuing the use of a season pass model to entice players to spend more money for game perks such as early access and exclusive missions. Ubisoft also announced a return to releasing games on Steam on PC on launch day, rather than exclusively on its own platform.
CEO Yves Guillemot emphasized this strategic shift in a statement to investors, stating, “Our second quarter performance fell short of our expectations, prompting us to address this swiftly and firmly, with an even greater focus on a player-centric, gameplay-first approach and an unwavering commitment to the long-term value of our brands.”
Following this news, Ubisoft shares surged by up to 33%, marking a significant gain after trading at their lowest levels since 2015. Analysts attribute recent drops in Ubisoft’s stock price, which had plummeted by over 40% since January, to the lukewarm reception of Star Wars Outlaws). The game, released at the end of August, experienced softer-than-expected sales. The Outlaws development team is actively addressing player feedback through a series of planned updates.
