After takeover rumors, Ubisoft says it regularly reviews its strategic options

(Reuters) – Ubisoft, France’s largest video game publisher, said in a statement on Monday that it “regularly examines all its strategic options”, as information circulated on Friday about discussions between the Guillemot family and China’s Tencent .

The group that created the famous games “Assassin’s Creed” and “Rabbids” said it “takes note of recent press speculation regarding potential interests around the Company.”

Ubisoft’s statement Monday comes after Bloomberg reported last week that the Guillemot family and Chinese tech giant Tencent were considering several scenarios for the publisher, including a buyout or delisting, causing the stock to jump on the stock market.

In difficulties after disappointing results, Ubisoft has long been considered a potential takeover target. The group founded by the Guillemot brothers has lost half of its stock market value over the last twelve months, due to delays and the underperformance of certain games.

Ubisoft said its intention remains to focus on executing its strategy, “open-world adventure games and games-as-a-service,” and said it regularly reviews all of its strategic options, according to the press release.

Asked whether it had been approached by potential investors and what strategic options were being considered, Ubisoft management said it would not comment further.

In its press release, the video game creator states that it “will inform the market in due time, if necessary”.

On the Paris Stock Exchange, around 07:20 GMT, the stock rose 3.7% to 14.7 euros, compared to a loss of 0.16% for the SBF120 at the same time.

WAGE TENSIONS IN FRANCE

The Guillemot brothers and Tencent, who respectively hold 9.74% and 15.05% of the capital, according to LSEG data, spoke with advisors to explore ways to stabilize Ubisoft and increase its value, a Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources who requested anonymity.

The group last month revised its financial targets for the second quarter and full year, citing performance that fell short.

In France, management also caused strong tensions with employees by announcing in September a mandatory return to face-to-face work at least three days a week.

The video game workers’ union (STJV), Solidaires Informatique, the CFE-CGC Fieci, the CGT and Printemps Ecoologique have called for a three-day strike on October 15, denouncing the fact that this decision does not take into account the personal constraints or places of residence of employees.

These union organizations are due to meet management representatives on Tuesday afternoon, Reuters learned from union sources.

(Report by Mathieu Rosemain and Florence Loève, written by Etienne Breban, edited by AUgustin Turpin and Kate Entringer)