There has been a lot of back and forth when it comes to Ubisoft. Over the past few years, it has been a struggle for the major publisher. As its games have struggled to make its mark, there have been talks of what will happen to the company. Last October, there were reports that Tencent and the Guillemot family were going to take Ubisoft private in a way to stablize the company following a year which the market value more than halved. In December, there were reports that shareholders were considering how to structure a possible buyout of the company, without reducing the Guillemot family’s control. Now, Ubisoft is reportedly seeking potential backers for a new gaming group that would be home to some of its core IP, including Assassin’s Creed.
Bloomberg reports that Ubisoft is considering selling a minority in this new venture and has contacted potential bidders, including current shareholder Tencent and funds globally, and in France. Ubisoft wants the preliminary bids to be made as soon as this month, people familiar with the situation have said.
The people said that Ubisoft may seek a valuation for the yet-to-be formed IP unit that is higher than the size of the main company’s. Considerations are ongoing, no final decision has been made, and plans could still change. Ubisoft’s share price has dropped for four straight years, including a 43% decline in 2024. From the October-December quarter, sales have totaled €318 million which is down 50% from last year. Ubisoft shares rose 4% to €12.78 at 11:29 a.m. in Paris trading on Friday after earlier gaining as much as 4.6%.
We’ll have to wait and see where things go from year following the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadow. The game is set to release next week on March 20. Ubisoft says that pre-orders of the game are “tracking solidly.”