Ubisoft stock jumps 11% amid fresh takeover report

Ubisoft’s stock price jumped by 11% on Friday, following fresh claims that the Assassin’s Creed company is attracting takeover interest.

According to a Bloomberg report, several private equity firms including Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co. have been studying the games publisher, per its sources.

“Ubisoft hasn’t entered into any serious negotiations with potential acquirers, and it’s unclear whether its major shareholder is willing to pursue a deal,” the publication said.

Ubisoft declined to comment on any takeover interest.

Ubisoft is one of the biggest third-party games publishers in the world and owns brands such as Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, Far Cry and Just Dance.

The French company has become the subject of much speculation in recent months, following a growing trend of consolidation in the games industry.

M&A activity in the games industry hit a record $85 billion in 2021 and has been forecast to reach $150 billion this year, with huge deals such as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and Take-Two’s buyout of Zynga having already been announced in 2022’s opening months.

Ubisoft was asked in an earnings call in February if it believed it would be able to guarantee access to the various gaming platforms it releases its games on in the future, should it resist any of the consolidation happening in the industry. CEO Yves Guillemot said he believed it would.

“We will continue to have access to all of those platforms because all the platforms need great content. If we are continuing to do great content like we do today, we will be able to access all of those platforms,” he said.

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Ubisoft says it can stay independent, but ‘would review any buyout offers’

CEO Yves Guillemot responds to speculation the Assassin's Creed publisher could be sold

“If we look at Nintendo… we are the number one third-party publisher on it. Nintendo is interested in everything we do and [we are] even developing games with their brands, so the collaboration exists and it is very fruitful.”

The exec said he believed Ubisoft could remain independent but that any offers to buy the company would be reviewed in the interest of its stakeholders.