Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft reviews ‘strategic options’ amid Tencent buyout report

France’s largest video gaming firm, which has long been seen as a takeover target, declined to comment on Tencent’s reported buyout interest

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Ubisoft Entertainment has lost half of its stock-market value over the past 12 months, owing to product delays and the underperformance of some video game titles. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:03pm, 7 Oct 2024

Ubisoft Entertainment – publisher of the popular Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Watch Dogs video-game franchises – said on Monday it regularly reviews “all its strategic options”, but declined further comment on a recent report of buyout interest.

France’s largest video gaming company has long been seen as a takeover target and has lost half of its stock-market value over the past 12 months. It has been plagued by product delays and the underperformance of some of its key titles.

Ubisoft said in a statement that it would inform the market if and when appropriate. A Ubisoft representative declined to comment further when asked whether the company had been approached by potential bidders.

Monday’s statement followed a report by Bloomberg News that Ubisoft’s founding family, the Guillemots, and Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, were considering a buyout. Tencent runs the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue.

French video gaming company Ubisoft is home to the widely popular Assassin’s Creed historical action-adventure franchise. Photo: Shutterstock

Shares in Ubisoft initially rose by up to 6 per cent on Monday after the statement, topping the SBF 120 index, but reversed course and were down 1.8 per cent at about 5pm, Hong Kong time.