A new era is emerging for Ubisoft. After several difficult years, it seems that things are finally getting ready to change within the French studio. A fall on the stock market, the declarations of a shareholder and the average performances of Star Wars Outlaws ended up pushing the video game giant to try everything for everything. The postponement ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows and the redesign of its collector’s edition indeed suggest that the company is ready to abandon its bad habits. No more question of monetizing services such as early access or a season pass: respect for the player and love of gaming seem well on their way to making a return to the heart of Ubisoft’s creative processes.
But is this all that the studio intends to do to get back on track? In an open letter to the Guillemot family last September, a shareholder called on the company to delist, in order to escape investor pressure and regain more freedoms. A few days ago, a new report from the American media Bloomberg revealed the different avenues that Ubisoft is considering to guarantee its future, and a takeover of the Chinese giant Tencent cannot be ruled out.
Things are happening behind the scenes
According to Bloomberg, Ubisoft and Tencent (which owns 10% of the studio’s shares and 49.9% of Guillemot Brothers Ltd.) would seek to “stabilize the business” et “enhance its value“. For this, several solutions are available to the group. Ubisoft could regain control by buying back all of its shares, or could let itself be swallowed up by its major shareholder. Although there has been no official announcement yet, Ubisoft’s latest statement suggests that things are moving behind the scenes:
“Ubisoft has taken note of recent press speculation regarding potential interests surrounding the company. It regularly reviews all its strategic options in the interest of its stakeholders and will inform the market where appropriate. The Company reaffirms that management is currently focused on the execution of its strategy, centered on two key verticals: open world video games and game services.”
The next few months therefore promise to be decisive for the studio, which no longer has the right to make mistakes. The exit ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows now scheduled for February 11, 2025, will be one of the key stages of this renewal. The changes applied to the experience and the deployment of additional content could well change Ubisoft’s reputation after several years of plummeting popularity. To be continued…
🟣 To not miss any news on the WorldOfSoftware, , .