Reuters, citing two knowledgeable sources, reported that shareholders of the French publisher and developer Ubisoft are discussing the structure of a potential sale of the company.
Image source: X (PhurbaDagger)
According to Reuters, the founders of Ubisoft – the Guillemot family with a 20.5% stake in the business – are in negotiations with Tencent (10%) and other shareholders to finance the buyout while maintaining their leadership role.
One of Reuters’ sources reports that Tencent asked for more influence on the decisions of the board of directors, while the Guillemot family aims to maintain control over the company and did not agree to the request of the Chinese IT giant.
Image source: Ubisoft
It is assumed that Tencent has not yet decided whether to participate in a potential buyout, as it considers its stake in Ubisoft sufficient to continue gaming cooperation with the publisher.
At the same time, one of the Reuters informants reports, Tencent does not intend to allow a hostile takeover of Ubisoft by other investors and plans to take a wait-and-see approach, counting on the consent of the founders in the future.
Image source: Ubisoft
Tencent and the Guillemot family declined to comment, and a Ubisoft representative assured that the company is considering all its strategic options and is committed to making decisions in the interests of its shareholders.
As noted by the IGN portal, against the backdrop of Reuters reports about negotiations between Ubisoft and Tencent regarding a potential buyout, shares of the French company jumped by 16% on December 6 (12.5% by the end of trading).