Tencent and Guillemot family reportedly considering buyout of Ubisoft

Tencent and Guillemot family reportedly considering buyout of Ubisoft

Following the collapse of its share price, Tencent and the Guillemot family are reportedly considering a buyout of Ubisoft to take the company private.

Sean Carey

Published 04 Oct 2024

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Sean Carey
With disappointing Star Wars Outlaws sales and a share price that has fallen by 54% this year, Ubisoft founders, the Guillemot family, are reportedly considering teaming up with shareholder Tencent to take Ubisoft private.

Tencent and Guillemot Brothers looking to stabilize Ubisoft

Bloomberg reports that Chinese tech company Tencent and Guillemot Brothers Ltd have been speaking with advisers to explore ways to stabilize Ubisoft after share prices fell to their lowest in over a decade. It's claimed that one of the possibilities being discussed involves Tencent (which owns around 9% of Ubisoft shares) teaming up with the Guillemot family (which holds just over 20% of shares) to take the company private. Bloomberg notes that discussions are at an early stage and that Tencent and the Guillemot family are also considering other alternatives.

Last month, a minority investor called on Ubisoft to replace current CEO Yves Guillemot and take the company private or sell it off to another investor. In a damning open letter, AJ Investments said, "Ubisoft at current state is mismanaged and shareholders are hostages of Guillemot family members and Tencent who take advantage of them.

"Management is focused on pleasing investors with beating quarterly results and not focusing on long-term strategy to provide exceptional experience for the gamers."

In a recent press release to investors, Yves Guillemot stated Ubisoft's "second quarter performance fell short of our expectations." The company has since delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows into 2025, vowed to fix Star Wars Outlaws in time for the holiday period, and will be bringing its games back to PC storefront Steam.
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Written by Sean Carey
A big fan of Xbox achievements, Sean has committed to playing as many of the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters on and off Xbox Game Pass as possible. Before joining TrueAchievements, Sean earned a degree in journalism from Solent University.