Ubisoft doesn’t have a clear plan for how the new company will work with Tencent, leaving investors and employees nervous

Trusted insider Tom Henderson, citing internal Ubisoft correspondence, has revealed the French publisher’s plans for its recently announced joint venture with Tencent.

Image source: Ubisoft

Let us recall that the new structure will include the publisher’s three largest franchises (Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six), but how this division will affect Ubisoft as a whole, its future projects and employees is unclear.

Amid the uncertainty, Ubisoft shares fell 17%. One Ubisoft investor told Henderson that the move would make sense in the long term without major changes within the company.

Employees interviewed by Henderson said management’s explanation of the situation left much to be desired, with some employees saying Ubisoft rushed into the deal in light of the early success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

A leaked email to employees from Ubisoft’s Zone 1 managing director Christophe Derennes paints a clear picture of why investors and employees are nervous.

According to Derenne, the creation of the subsidiary is a turning point after several difficult years and gives Ubisoft the opportunity to emerge stronger than before. The reorganization will take place in three stages:

• The first stage (already completed) is the announcement itself and the beginning of the planning phase;
• The second stage (before summer) is to work out how the new structure will interact with the existing company and to define a new operating model;
• The third stage (no deadlines) is the integration of the new model.

Derenne assured that Ubisoft will continue to release quality games, and thanked the employees for their patience and resilience: “Change is never easy, and [this step] is especially big and important for us and the future of Ubisoft.”