Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has dismissed the company’s intention to remain independent in its fiscal 2022 earnings call.
The announcement comes nearly a week after reports surfaced that the Guillemot family, which he founded, part-owns and runs Ubisoft, will oppose an offer from third-party buyers to take over the company. and will consider partnering with a private equity firm to acquire this. the society. .
If you could only play one set of games, what would it be? ? pic.twitter.com/6gBXgpKwo8
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) May 4, 2022
“There’s been a lot of talk about consolidation in the industry and especially at Ubisoft,” Guillemot said (H/T GamesIndustry.biz). “Our common position is clear and well known. As we said last February, we have everything it takes to maintain our independence. We have the capacity, the industrial and financial scale and a broad portfolio of powerful intellectual properties to create enormous value. years.
“It gave us the blueprint to form a strategic partnership with the biggest players in entertainment and technology. Current speculation clearly demonstrates the true attractiveness and value of our assets and their potential to create our value.
Guillemot also added that the company “evaluates any proposal” as it is “standard and best practice” for any publicly traded company.
At the end of April, Bloomberg first reported that the French video game maker had come to the attention of complainants. A day later, Kotaku also reported that current and former Ubisoft developers believe the company “will eventually sell to someone, amid an ongoing battle between stock price and production.”
Founded in 1986 by the Guillemot family and led by CEO Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft still defends its independence.
In 2018, Ubisoft and Yves Guillemot fought off hostile French media efforts holding Vivendi and ultimately won.
As Yves Guillemot noted in the call, he had previously stated that Ubisoft had no plans to sell and could remain independent because of its “talent”, its “industrial and financial size” and its “strong strong IP portfolio”.
Under the operational control of Guillemot, Ubisoft has for several years been a hotbed of debate on discrimination in the workplace. Senior executives have been fired for misconduct, and company employees continue to strive for self-improvement.
The Guillemot family currently owns 15.9% of Ubisoft and 22.3% of the net voting shares.
Of course, it all comes down to Take-Two Interactive’s $12.7 billion deal to buy Zynga, Sony’s $3.6 billion deal to buy Bungie, and the latest new game to be included. a $1 million deal unfolds against the backdrop of the buying wave. Microsoft has signed a $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard.
Source : dbl tap
