Ubisoft initially discussed the subject of buyouts back in February, following a round of acquisitions that saw Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard, Sony buying Bungie, and Take-Two buying Zynga. Since then, however, a report from Bloomberg claimed Ubisoft had attracted preliminary interest from a number of private equity firms, although it was said the publisher had yet to enter into “serious negotiations” regarding such a deal. In light of those reports, Ubisoft has once again addressed the subject of acquisitions, albeit in very much the same terms it did back in February. “There’ve been a lot of talks around consolidation in the industry, and in Ubisoft in particular,” company chairman Yves Guillemont said during the publisher’s latest earnings call, adding that its “overall position is clear.” “As we said last February, we have everything we need to remain independent,” Guillemot continued. “We have the talent, the industrial and the financial scale, and a large portfolio of powerful IPs to create massive value in the coming years. It has provided us with the plan to build strategic partnership with the biggest players in the entertainment and tech.” Guillemot added that the current speculation around a potential takeover bid, “is putting in plain sight the real appeal and value of our health and of our value creation potential.” He did, however, stress that, as is standard practice for a publicly listed company, Ubisoft’s board would review any offer “in the interest of all shareholders and our great teams.” Following April’s chatter around the private equity sector’s escalating interest in Ubisoft, a separate report suggested the publisher’s founding Guillemot family was indeed looking partner with one of these private equity firms, albeit while retaining control of the company - a move designed to see off a full-scale takeover attempt by another party. Memorably, Ubisoft fought off a very public takeover bid by French media conglomerate Vivendi back in 2016, when it vowed to “fight” to remain independent at all costs.
