Summary

  • Ubisoft may be bought out by Tencent and the founding Guillemot family due to recent commercial struggles.
  • Some have called for Ubisoft to go private, while others have suggested that current Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot step down.
  • Despite mostly positive reviews, Star Wars Outlaws fell short of sales expectations, and the delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows to 2025 has only exacerbated Ubisoft's current troubles.

Tencent and the Guillemot family might be buying out Ubisoft following the publisher’s recent commercial troubles. The Guillemots originally founded Ubisoft back in the late 1980s, though the company was originally called “Ubi Soft.” It originally released PC titles and licensed handheld games for the most part until 1995, when it found big success with the original Rayman on PlayStation. Since then, Ubisoft has grown into one of the biggest publishers in the industry, bolstered by major franchises like Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed, and Prince of Persia.

Unfortunately, the past few years haven’t been quite so fruitful for Ubisoft, as the company has been hit with numerous controversies and lackluster releases. Star Wars Outlaws, which launched to warm reviews back in August, ultimately fell short of Ubisoft’s sales expectations, so much so that the company’s stock fell to a 10-year low shortly after its release. The troubles would only continue from there as Assassin’s Creed Shadows, once slated to launch on November 15, was recently delayed until February 14, 2025 following multiple controversies.

Assassin's Creed Shadows key art Naoe Yasuke on roof below game logo red 2x1 composite
Assassin's Creed Shadows Development Troubles Detailed in New Report

A newly emerged report from a credible industry insider offers some additional insights into the Assassin's Creed Shadows development troubles.

2
By 

There have been calls from investors for Ubisoft to go private in the face of these critical and commercial setbacks, and it now looks like the company may soon be bought out. According to unnamed sources speaking to Bloomberg, Tencent Holdings Ltd. And Ubisoft Entertainment SA’s founding Guillemot family are looking into buying out the publisher as a way of stabilizing its market value. Tencent and the Guillemot family are also considering other options, and representatives from both estates have declined to comment on the subject at this time.

Ubisoft Founder Guillemot Family May Buy Out the Company

Earlier this year, Juraj Krupa of AJ Investments penned a letter recommending that Ubisoft go private for the first time since 1996 in the wake of its declining stocks, and others have suggested that current Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot should step down as part of a needed course correction. Other recommendations made over the past month have included reducing staff, which would lead to even more layoffs at Ubisoft, as well as a refocusing toward the company’s big-name IPs like Rainbow Six Siege, Assassin's Creed, and Watch Dogs.

According to a recent financial report, Ubisoft stocks have climbed by roughly 33% in Paris since news of the potential buyout by the Guillemot family and the increasingly active Tencent first broke, which is the company’s steepest gain since 1996. It is still too early to tell if this Ubisoft buyout will happen, but it seems like many agree that a change is needed for the struggling triple-A publisher.

Image
Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Display card main info widget
Date Founded
March 28, 1986
Headquarters
Saint Mandé, France
CEO
Yves Guillemot
Subsidiaries
Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft San Francisco
Known For
Rainbow Six, Prince of Persia, Far Cry, The Crew
Display card main info widget end

Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher with a main headquarters in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot runs an array of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known series in video games, with franchises like Assassin's Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance, and more. Ubisoft also acts as a parent company for an array of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.

Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info