Ubisoft’s two largest shareholders continue to discuss a potential buyout that would take the Assassin’s Creed publisher private, but a new report suggests there is disagreement over control of the business going forward.
Sources close to the matter told Reuters that Guillemot Brothers Ltd, run by the family of the same name, including Ubisoft co-founder and former CEO Yves Guillemot, expects to retain the control it currently has over Ubisoft once the deal closes.
However, Tencent is said to be delaying its involvement in the purchase and increasing its stake in Ubisoft until it is promised greater influence over future board decisions.
Discussions between the two are ongoing, in part to help prevent any other investors from making a hostile takeover of Ubisoft, and Reuters sources say Tencent plans to bide its time and wait for the Guillemot family to agree to its terms.
Tencent declined Reuters’ request for comment, while the Guillemot family did not respond.
News of a possible purchase first emerged in October, following several financial stumbles at Ubisoft, including the underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws. One minority shareholder even called for Ubisoft to go private after the publisher’s stock price fell sharply following the release of Outlaws.
In September, Ubisoft lowered its financial goals for the current year, delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows until February 2025, and launched an internal review into how to improve the company’s performance.
Like many companies in the gaming industry, Ubisoft has also been downsizing. Last week it announced the closure of two studios attached to XDefiant, which will close next year. In October, he also disbanded the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
