US funds Blackstone and KKR are keenly interested in Ubisoft, according to Bloomberg. However, the publisher ofAssassin’s Creed would not have started “serious negotiations” with potential buyers.
After the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for 68.7 billion dollars and that of the Bungie studio by Sony for 3.6 billion dollars, will the video game industry consolidate further with a new acquisition of scope? The question arises since Bloomberg reported that several investment funds, including Blackstone and KKR in the United States, were taking a close interest in the French group Ubisoft, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by the economic agency. However, the publisher ofAssassin’s Creed would not have started “serious negotiations” with potential buyers, indicates Bloombergwhich specifies that the main shareholder of Ubisoft is not necessarily ready to conclude an agreement.
However, the signals are multiplying for a possible sale. Indeed, Ubisoft has worked in recent years in close collaboration with several consulting firms to carry out audits, which Kotaku, a publication specializing in the video game sector, interprets as a desire to put its accounts in order in perspective of a sale. And this while the market capitalization of the French publisher has fallen by nearly 35% in one year. This now amounts to 4.8 billion euros.
Ubisoft’s image tarnished for two years
Additionally, after talking to developers, Kotaku says “that the production difficulties continue” in the group. In addition, Yves Guillemot’s company has been at the heart of a scandal for two years against the backdrop of a toxic work environment and sexual harassment. So many elements that could promote the sale of Ubisoft, in search of a new breath.
In the past, Vivendi, the group of Vincent Bolloré, had tried to get their hands on the French publisher. But the Breton billionaire ended up capitulating in 2018, not without having recovered a nice capital gain. Since then, things have changed a lot and the Guillemot clan, which owns 15% of the studio, is no longer adored internally as it was before. With more than 20,000 jobs in its fold, Ubisoft is attracting more and more interest in an ultra-competitive sector.