Are you tired of the "How is Ubisoft today?" series yet? The total failure of XDefiant and the subsequent layoffs have inevitably influenced the situation regarding a potential sale. One could say the probability of a sale is increasing.
However, Ubisoft's future is still undecided. According to Reuters, representatives of Ubisoft Entertainment are currently in negotiations with the Chinese conglomerate Tencent regarding a possible buyout of the company.
Reuters cites two anonymous sources familiar with the situation. According to them, the Guillemot family, the founders and largest shareholders of Ubisoft (holding 15% of shares), wants to retain control over the company.
Tencent, which currently owns 10% of Ubisoft’s shares, has not yet decided on its next move. It is reported that the Chinese conglomerate wants to influence future decisions made by Ubisoft’s board of directors, as well as the allocation of cash flows, and in exchange is willing to finance the deal.
Despite both parties having somewhat opposing goals, Ubisoft and Tencent continue negotiations. The reason is simple: both parties want to prevent a hostile takeover of Ubisoft by external investors. But while Tencent can wait for the Guillemot family to agree to its terms, the founders don’t have much time.
As we know, investors have accused Ubisoft's leadership of inefficiency, and now more and more shareholders are pushing for the sale of the company. Since the beginning of the year, the company’s stock price has fallen by 50%, while Ubisoft’s management denied any negotiations with Tencent, calling the media reports speculation.
However, Ubisoft’s top executives previously called rumors about the possible closure of XDefiant unfounded, and look how that turned out. We continue to monitor this corporate thriller.
Main image: steampowered.com
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