Ubisoft Shares Official Statement on Buyout Plans

Amidst buyout rumors involving Tencent, Ubisoft remains tight-lipped. On Monday, the French gaming company released a statement saying it evaluates its strategic options regularly for the benefit of its stakeholders.

While the statement does not confirm anything, it is worth pointing out that it does not deny the rumors we have been hearing. Ubisoft will inform the market if and when necessary, the statement adds.

This follows a Bloomberg report indicating that Tencent and the Guillemot family, Ubisoft’s founders, are exploring ways to increase the company’s value and stability. Last month, Ubisoft’s shares dropped 19% after the company announced a delay for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and disappointing sales for Star Wars Outlaws.

Bloomberg reports that Ubisoft is considering going private as one possible course of action. Tencent, which already holds approximately 10% of Ubisoft, also owns 49.9% of Guillemot Brothers Ltd. Ubisoft states its current focus is on open-world and live-service games.

The company has seen significant changes over the past year, including layoffs of dozens of IT and special effects employees last November and restructuring its subscription service in January.

Ubisoft is certainly not the most popular among gamers either as it was named the most-hated publisher across 23 countries including France, Italy, Brazil, Russia, and many others. Expectations for the company’s upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows are now quite low and if it tanks like Star Wars Outlaws, that could be the final nail in the coffin.