Could Ubisoft soon be owned by the giant Tencent? Reuters says in any case that the Chinese company could become the majority shareholder of the French publisher. Currently, Tencent already owns 5% of Ubisoft’s capital.
Could the takeover of Ubisoft become the next big deal in the video game world? It’s not impossible, according to Reuters. The press agency indicates that the French publisher is likely to be acquired by the Chinese giant Tencent.
Tencent, which has held 5% of Ubisoft since 2018, would have the idea of become a majority shareholder. Ubisoft is valued at $5.3 billion and is now one of the most powerful publishers in the world.
Tencent wants to get its hands on Ubisoft
Tencent would like, according to Reuters, to buy the 15% of the company from the Guillemot family and would be ready to pay 100 euros per share, whether to Guillemot or other minority shareholders to get their hands on Ubisoft. An offer impossible to refuse, the action hovering around 45 euros. By acquiring Ubisoft, Tencent would not only be acquiring the know-how of more than 17,000 employees around the world, but also a portfolio of licenses known and appreciated by the general public such as Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Les Lapins Crétins, Far Cry , Tom Clancy or Prince of Persia.
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Tencent is already well established in the world of video games, whether in China, its country of origin, or internationally, with studios like Riot Games. Acquiring Ubisoft would be a bold move, but one that would propel it as one of the global market leaders. Let us recall that the French firm been looking for redemption for a while now. Bloomberg had reported that the company’s pundits had sought advice from several capital valuation firms for such a transaction. Tencent would therefore be the lucky one.
Remember that at the beginning of the year, it was another transaction that made the news: the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for 69 billion dollars. The Ubisoft takeover could also be important for the industry, but it would still be surprising to reach such heights.
Source: Reuters